If you are convicted of a DWI then you better be prepared for your vehicle insurance to skyrocket. DWI auto insurance rates are more than any other classification of driver’s will pay. This is because a DWI conviction classifies you as a high risk driver and you will pay more in premiums to cover that risk. If you live in a state where auto insurance is optional it may not be such a big deal. However there are plenty of states where it is mandatory and the DWI auto insurance rates may be too much for you to pay.

You may get lucky though because may insurance companies only review a person’s driving record every three years. The fact that you have a DWI may go undetected for quite some time on your current policy so you won’t be charge more. Should you decide to switch companies though for auto insurance or make any changes to your current policy your DWI will be discovered. Many times a DWI can result in your request for auto insurance not being honored or your current policy being canceled.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has made it harder for those with DWI convictions to hide them from insurance companies though. In many states a SR-22 form of insurance is required before the person can get their driver’s license reinstated. This requires contacting your insurance company and letting them know about the situation. SR-22 insurance is more expensive that regular auto insurance because of the high risk involved with the driver. You can expect to be mandated by the Department of Motor Vehicles to have this type of insurance for up to five years.

To make sure you keep the SR-22 insurance coverage after you provide proof the Department of Motor Vehicles has your file flagged by the insurance company. Should you cancel the insurance policy or they cancel it for non-payment they will be notified and your diver’s license will be suspended.

The insurance company does reserve the right to cancel an auto insurance policy should they find out you have a DWI. They don’t have to offer the SR-22 coverage but many of them do because of the high amount of money they can charge for it. If the insurance company plans to cancel your current policy written notice will be sent to you so you are aware of the situation.

According to various studies 25% of individuals with a DWI conviction never find it showing up on their driving record. This is often due to the lack of effective documenting between the legal system and the Department of Motor Vehicles. In other states the DWI can be eliminated after the driver completes a treatment program and a driver’s education class.

By: Caleb Liu

About the Author:

You might think that whatever make or model of car you have, auto insurance claims will be similar – and therefore, so will premiums. We all expect to pay more to insure a $200,000 Lamborghini than an ordinary Chevy or Ford sedan because parts are expensive, the car is likely to get stolen, and you are more likely to have an accident driving it fast. But surely the cost on insuring one 4.0 liter four-door sedan is the same as another? Not so. Even among ordinary cars and suvs, all autos are not equal when it comes to auto insurance claims.

The cost of insurance depends on many things such as:

- The likelihood of you having an accident – suvs that do not handle well will generally get a poor rating compared with modern sedans

- The level of injury you are likely to get in an accident – some cars are much better than others

- The cost of repairing the vehicles

The liability cost varies from model to model

These factors are taken into account along with auto insurance claims when the premiujms are set by insurers. So which are the autos to avoid, and which are good? You might expect imports to cost more to insure than cars made in the USA. Not necessarily. For example, Audi and BMW are generally low on the risk of liability in an accident, but the Audi S4 and TT and all BMWs are expensive to repair. Not too many surprises here. Generally, Chryslers are no so good on liability costs, and the Chevy Cobalt, Colorado and Silverado 3500 are pretty bad. The Ford Mustang is also bad, and the Focus and F350 are not good either.

Among the Japanese, Mazda does not rate highly, and Honda generally rates well, but its Ridgeline truck is not so hot. Toyota ranks highly, although the Prius, Tacoma and Tunda are expensive to repair. So you can see that it is not safe to rely on a certain maker, and assume that all its models rate highly.

Check how auto insurance claims affect the cost of insurance

Therefore, before you buy an auto, check out its ranking for crash and repair damage. Actually, the easiest way to do that is get some quotes from leading insurers, as auto insurance claims are taken into account in deciding the premiums they charge. This way you will be able to find what you need to buy a good price.

What you want here is to get all the quotes for the autos you are thinking of buying at one place. I have found that that best place to do this is at a site where you just key in the details, and up come quotes from many insurers. This solves two problems – you find which is the best auto, and which company offers the best price.



By: John Hartley

About the Author:

westernshippers asked:


I know that expensive houses will cost more on home insurance, but what about your age, sex? Does it matter? I know that for auto insurance, 18-25 male, the premiums will be high, what about home insurance?