How Will Your Auto Insurance Rates Be Impacted by DWI?

Insurance rates for young drivers or those with “points” can quickly increase to premium amounts that can make it cost prohibitive or even impossible to drive. Moving violations, such as speeding, disregarding a traffic signal, reckless driving, or causing an accident (even without injury), add “points” to your record. If you get too many, your license to drive can be suspended or even revoked. The more points on your record, the higher your insurance premium will be. More importantly if you accumulate too many points within three (3) years, your insurance company may decline to continue to insure you. At that point, you would have to seek special high-risk insurance which is very expensive, if available to you at all.

A DWI will result in 12 insurance points.  This could increase your premium by as much as 300%. A DWI is in a special category all to itself with its own unique set of criminal and civil punishments. On the civil side, the Department of Motor Vehicles can take action against your ability to drive and impose additional requirements to drive (limited driving privilege, ignition interlock devices). Also, even after your criminal case is ended, drivers convicted of a DWI will continue to find it extremely difficult to ever get reasonable, affordable insurance rates if they can even find a reputable insurance company willing to insure them. That’s why it is so important to fight a DWI charge because a conviction or plea is on your criminal as well as driving records.

As you can see, the effects of a DWI conviction are multifaceted. Insurance rate increases are part of that.  This is yet another reason to carefully consider hiring an experienced NC DWI lawyer to handle your case and guide you through the maze of associated laws. The DWI attorneys of Aaron Lee, PC defend DWI cases every day. We stand ready to help you and your family.