DWI Insurance

Finding DWI violation insurance is extremely challenging and needs all the right information you can get.

Getting auto insurance you can afford after a DWI/DUI is challenging because if your currently use one of the top companies, they will deal with you in one of two ways--they will either cancel your policy right after a dwi offense or drastically increase your insurance premiums. This situation is not likely to improve any time soon because drunk driving is being taken more seriously with every passing year. You should educate yourself on the why's and how's before you begin looking for DWI insurance, also known as DUI insurance or SR 22 insurance, in order to get the best possible deals.

How a DWI affects your insurance

Insurance companies are in the business of taking risk and they use insurance risk tables to determine how much a DWI will cost them and therefore, how much you will need to pay them in premiums in order to make it a profitable venture for them. They are in business to make money after all. However, there are several companies that specialize in these high-risk insurance policies and they are competing against each other for your business, so it is very unlikely that you will be gouged or charged unfairly by any one company. Rates can and do of course differ from company to company, depending on their own experience and tables, and from state to state because each state has its own laws which affect your insurance risk differently. Depending on your state of residence and your company, a DWI may increase your insurance up to 50% if it is not canceled. On the other hand you may see a smaller increase if you have had a good driving record for a long time or this is your first DWI offense.

How long will a DWI affect my auto insurance?

The length of time your insurance is affected depends on how long the offense stays on your driving record and on the laws of your state. Normally this will be anywhere from 3 years to life depending on your state or as long as the offense is reflected on your driving record. This would depend partly on how you or your attorney handle the legal aspect of your case.  Most but not all states require your insurance company to file a SR-22 form so you won't be able to keep the news from reaching them. The form asks the insurance company to let your state's department of automobiles--the DMV, BMV etc.--know if it decides to cancel your insurance or keep it. There is also a very remote possibility that your insurance company will not find out about your DWI if you live in a state that does not require SR-22 to be filed. However, this is rare and when they do find out about it later, they won't be happy about having been kept in the dark. There really is nothing you can do to speed things up in this process.

Where do I find insurance after a DWI?

If your current insurance company decides that they can't let you keep your policy, even with higher premiumms, it is best to start looking for high-risk insurance at the other big, established, well-known companies first because they might just give you a full policy if the particulars of your offense happen to fit their criteria. The preferred carriers are the likes of AAA, Geico, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive and many others big and small. Most likely though, they will charge you a lot more in premiums even if they do offer you a full-featured policy in which case, make notes on their offers—premium, coverage etc. If one meets your goals, fine. If not, you need to start searching for specialized DWI or SR-22 insurance companies on the Internet, using search tools like Google and typing something like "dwi insurance", "dui insurance" or "SR 22 insurance".