No matter who you are: DUIs matter to all of us
You don’t have to be a member of MADD or a police officer to know that driving while drinking is one of the biggest NOs of all time. It seems to be something everyone has done at some point in their life, and if not caught or if they didn’t wind up in an accident, or worse, they were simply lucky THAT TIME.
Up until now, everything surrounding DUIs has largely only considered
the country as whole and examined what drivers are more likely to get them or how many accidents involve DUIs. However, what used to be much more ‘universal’ just got a little more complex.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals in a newer report that Latinos are actually “at particular risk of death and injury from alcohol related crashes.” Consider 2006—according to the report, 5,405 Latinos in the US were injured fatally when on the road, and 49% of them died from collisions where alcohol was involved. In Texas in 2009, there were 10,607 Latino drivers involved in alcohol-related crashes. Almost 200 that died in those crashes represent over 30% of ALL DWI fatalities in the entire state that year.
Another report from the NHTSA backed up what the first found, perhaps finding a solid reason for why so many Latinos were killed or injured in alcohol related crashes—Hispanics are ‘less likely’ to believe that driving after drinking is a “safety problem.” They also don’t believe they’ll be caught.
No matter who you are though, drinking and driving is still never safe. It will have long-term consequences and restrict your life greatly. Just because Latinos have been reported to have a propensity to drink and drive doesn’t mean the American girl next door won’t drive and cause a fatal accident or get caught.
No matter who you are, if you find yourself in the unfortunate
circumstance to be charged with a DUI or DWI, there are several things you’re going to face, and auto insurance is just one of them. Yes, your insurance premiums are going to increase substantially. Most importantly, there are a few things you need to know to get you through the next few years so you can come out the other side in good shape with great rates again.
1. A DUI Will Affect Your Premium For Five Years
- Although a DUI will affect the actual rate for three years, a DUI will keep you placed in a high-risk company for five years, so those last two years will still be affected.
- If you do not get any other violations or claims in that three-year period, the last two years should not be nearly as high cost as the first three.
2. You Will Probably Need Either an SR-22 or an FR-44 Filing From Your Insurance Company to the State
3. Non-Owners Insurance is an Alternative
- If you do not own a car, or you choose to get rid of your car because you do not want to pay the higher cost of insurance, you can still get non-owners coverage just to satisfy the requirements of the SR-22.
- However, keep in mind that it might actually be cheaper to just buy an old jalopy and keep minimum liability on it than it would to have non-owner insurance.
- The reason for this is because non-owners insurance covers you if you drive someone else’s vehicle or rent a car.
- Without having a specific vehicle to rate you on, non-owners insurance will have to run a little higher in order to make sure they are collecting enough premium to pay out if you cause a lot of damage with a bigger car.
Receiving a DUI can lessen your self-esteem. Certainly insurance companies don’t like to hear it. However, everyone makes mistakes and it’s all about how you handle the aftermath that makes all the difference. Play by the rules and your insurance will be back on track in no time.
Image: Flickr.
