What Happens To Your Car Insurance After A DUI?

If you were charged with DUI, you need to know what happens to your car insurance. You can't drive without car insurance, and a DUI can mean major changes to your policy if you can even avoid having it canceled. Here's what you should know.

What Happens to Your Car Insurance Right After a DUI?

You might think that your car insurance would get canceled right after a DUI. That's not always the case. In many places, your car insurance company can't change your policy until it expires. They also usually don't check your driving record until it's time to renew your policy, so they may not even know about your DUI.

The bigger issue is that a DUI usually means an automatic license suspension. If your license is canceled, your insurance won't keep covering you even though your policy is active. That's because part of your policy terms is driving legally, and driving while your license is suspended is legal.

Should You Keep Your Car Insurance Active if You Got a DUI?

There are two reasons you should consider keeping your car insurance active if you got a DUI even if you're not allowed to drive. The first is that your insurance will still cover your car while it's parked. For example, if it gets stolen or has a tree fall on it, that's still a valid comprehensive claim because you weren't breaking the law. You're still allowed to have your car parked — you just can't drive it.

The other reason is that insurance companies charge you more if you have a gap in your insurance coverage. Stopping your insurance during your license suspension could cost you more in future rate increases than you'll save during your suspension period.

Will Your Insurance Rates Go Up?

You can expect your insurance rates to go up by a lot. The first reason is that any type of traffic violation signals to insurance companies that you're an unsafe driver and leads them to increase your insurance rates. DUI is one of the most serious traffic violations.

The second reason is that you'll need a special SR22 car insurance policy. An SR22 policy does two things. First, it puts high-risk drivers like those convicted of DUI into a separate insurance pool from other drivers. It also has additional reporting requirements to the state because the higher cost of car insurance after a DUI makes it more likely for drivers who had a DUI to try to drive without insurance.

To learn more about what insurance you need after a DUI, contact a local car insurance company like Clover Insurance today.