Teen auto insurance

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DUIs are taken much more seriously these days than they were in years past.  And multiple DUIs will get you into a heap of trouble and cost you dearly.  But if you have had a DUI, you can probably still find insurance to cover your vehicle while you do what is necessary to get that DUI off your record.

How long will the DUI stay on your record and effect your rates?
The length of time a DUI or any driving under the influence violation stays on your driving record will depend upon your state’s laws. It can be a lifetime down to just a few years. For example in Alaska, a DUI stays on your driving record forever. In New Hampshire, the DWI record retention and DWI offense enhancement look-back period is at least 10 years, while a DUI in California will remain on a driver’s record for 7 years unless you have a “Failure to Appear”. Then it will stay on your California driving record for 10 years. To find out how long your state will keep a DUI on your driving record check with your local Department of Motor Vehicles.

The insurance premium rate increase will probably take place at your next renewal period when your insurance company checks your motor vehicle record (MVR) and sees this serious offense listed. The amount of time for the increased premium will again depend upon state laws or the insurance companies own rating guidelines. In general it can affect you for 3, 5 or 7 years typically or as long as the violation is on your DMV record if state insurance laws allow it.  Then, it will usually come right down once the DUI is off your record.  The interesting news is that there does not seem to be any in-between where your rates are slowly decreasing.  You either have a DUI on your record or you don’t, and your rates will reflect that. 

There is nothing you can do to speed up the process, I’m afraid.  Where taking drunk driving education classes should score you points with the insurance company, they don’t seem to do the trick, since part of your penance for the DUI is to take those classes anyway. 

How much will the rates go up?
This is another area where it will differ, sometimes significantly from state to state, and even from one insurance company to another.  With a DUI conviction, insurance rates tend to increase quite a bit and you will likely now be classified as a high-risk driver. Colorado‘s auto insurance, for example, if it’s not canceled entirely, could go up 30 % on average.  The amount of the premium increase will depend upon your insurance company’s rating system.  You could see a rise anywhere in the range of 20% to 50%!

There is hope
If you have been convicted of a DUI/DWI, and your insurance is being cancelled or your rates are about to skyrocket, (a common plot in DUI stories), don’t fret.  There is hope.  While most insurance companies will increase your yearly rates or refuse your business, there are others out there that will provide you with full coverage.  The trick is to find a company that deals specifically with DUI cases, and will offer you a decent rate despite the black mark on your record.

It is best to start checking around by getting a quote from a national, well-known auto insurer, such as Geico or Allstate.  While it is more likely than not that they will only cover you if you pay a rather high premium, it is possible that they will offer you a full coverage plan that meets your price range.  If not, at least you have a general idea of what the big guys would charge you, which can help you with comparison shopping as you get more quotes.

From there, and it is best to do this online using a simple search engine, like Google or Yahoo, key in “DUI/DWI auto insurance providers”.  There are literally hundreds of them.  Some of them will only provide you with six months of coverage at a time, and many will want you to pay for the six (or twelve) months up front, as they are taking a risk in creating a contract with someone who has a DUI.  (Not that they don’t trust you; it’s strictly business.)

It is important to make sure the insurance companies from whom you are getting quotes do business in your state.  If you would like a database of providers in your area, try DUI.com, which gives a list of DUI auto insurance companies within your area, and is designed to help you find the best deal possible.

Now that you have a decent list of names, start getting as many quotes as possible, marking down each one’s costs, and making sure you know about all deductibles, premiums, and any hidden fees. Once you have found the best possible price that offers you at least the amount of coverage you are required to carry, you are all set, and you can start breathing freely again. Just make sure you don’t get pulled over on another drunk driving charge, because even DUI auto insurance companies will drop you if you are charged as a multiple offender, which may make it impossible for you to drive legally for quite some time.

Lori Mandell is an attorney, writer and editor. Her specialty areas include insurance, personal injury and estate matters.

Teen auto insurance

Teen auto insurance

Dan Thesis: How much is teen driver education helpful for teen drivers and teen auto insurance?

Response: Dan, let me assure you that this is very important. Teen drivers learn a lot and become mature drivers with little driving education and the insurance companies offer higher discount to teen who take driving training. A Georgia state law adopted in 2007 that required driver’s education for all 16-year-olds also created a way to help pay for it, but only 20 percent of funds collected under the program have been appropriated for its use.

State officials say the law does not require all the money collected through an extra fee on traffic tickets to be spent on the teen driver’s education program, but the father of the boy who inspired the law says more money generated by the law should be used for that purpose.

Alan Brown’s son, Joshua, died in a car accident in 2003. Since then, Brown said Joshua’s Law has helped thousands of Georgia teens become safer drivers.

“I wrote this law to save lives and to honor my son,” Brown said. “I wanted to create a way to pay for driver’s education without mom or dad or the taxpayers having to pay for it.”

From fiscal years 2005 to 2009, $38.4 million was collected from the add-on fine and went into the state’s general fund. The legislature appropriated $2.7 million per year for fiscal years 2007 to 2009, for a total of about $8.1 million.

Joshua’s Law was passed during the 2005 General Assembly and took effect beginning Jan. 1, 2007. According to the law, all 16-year-olds applying for a Class D driver’s license must complete an approved driver education course and 40 hours of supervised driving, including 6 hours of night driving. The teen’s parent or guardian must provide a sworn verification that these requirements have been met.

Any Georgia resident who has not taken the driver’s education class must be at least 17 years old to get a driver’s license, but must meet the same supervised driving requirements and have parent verification.

The law also aimed to help more teens get into driver education and training programs, and created a 5 percent surcharge on traffic tickets to help fund the programs.

The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission was established, in part to administer those funds to public schools and libraries, and created a grant fund for eligible parties to apply. Bob Dallas, vice chair of the commission and head of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said the state is not required to spend all of the money raised through the surcharge on driver’s education and must balance the program’s needs with others in the state.

“The legislators have to make a decision as to where the money goes,” Dallas said. “They truly do care and are very much interested in our teens being educated to be good drivers so we have fewer of them get into injuries and crashes that cause deaths.”

Under the grant program, 10,200 students completed the grant-provided driver education courses in 2008 and public libraries in 113 locations made available online driver education instructions to high school students across the state.

Brown said that’s a start, but that the state must do more.

“All these kids that are now alive, I’m extremely thrilled with that. But the state is tainting my son’s name by not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Such great helps is being offered for teenagers and so each teenager should take this course and it is a moral duty of parents to encourage their children to do this. It really works and statastics have proved this. Teenager need independence and guidance to stay safe and get cheap teen auto insurance quotes.

Thanks.

Kamlesh.

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Teen auto insurance