What will happen to my auto insurance and what are the penalties if I get convicted of DUI in Alabama?

Jenny

Birmingham AL

Drivers in Alabama should all know that drunk driving is an offense taken very seriously. In fact, most states today have laws that impose heavy penalties, and even the very real possibility of incarceration, for drunk driving or DUI (Driving Under the Influence) offenses. Punishments are harder for repeat offenders. If this is your first time to get charged with a DUI, getting the right kind of DUI insurance for you and your vehicle is essential.

Here’s some details about what consequences a DUI offender can expect to face in Alabama:

• 1st Offense – Fines from $600 – $2,100, possible imprisonment up to one year, drivers license is suspended for a total of 90 days.
• 2nd Offense – Fines $1,100 to $5,100 or 1 year imprisonment or both, and one year license revocation, if 2nd conviction is within five years after the 1st.
• 3rd Offense – $2,100 – $10,100 fine, three-year driver’s license suspension and up to one year in prison.
• 4th Offense – Fines: $4,100 – $10,000, incarceration from one to ten years, 5 year license suspension. The 4th offense treated as a class C felony.

After satisfying your sentence/ conviction, offenders would also require an auto insurance company to file an SR22 form, aside from providing the necessary DUI insurance coverage, to help you get back on the road. Not surprisingly, this special kind of auto insurance can be very expensive, unless you know how to find the right one.

The Internet is a great source and channel for businesses – and the consumers looking for them – offering affordable or reasonably priced DUI insurance coverage in the state of Alabama. With the many online auto insurance portals, anyone can have free access to the latest auto insurance quotes and offers available in the market.

A smart consumer knows that comparing his/her options is the best way to get the DUI insurance coverage best suiting his/her needs. By using online auto insurance portals, you can compare rates from some of the best auto insurance providers a lot faster and easier. Saving you essential time and effort to get your driving again.

My brother has just gotten his driver’s license back after his DUI conviction here in Alabama. I see that he’s so worried about his auto insurance because he said that it will increase tremendously, is this true?

Nate

Mobile, AL

Well, if there is one thing that can make an auto insurance premium rise through the ceiling, it would be a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction. Apart from the risk of causing injury or death to yourself and others, drunk driving has severe consequences from your auto insurance provider.

Car insurance providers could review your motor vehicle record (MVR) only once in three years or at the time of application for a new car insurance policy. There is a possibility that accidents, tickets and drunk driving convictions will not pass their way to your brother’s official MVR. But in the event that his auto insurance provider in Alabama finds out about his DUI and tags him as a high risk driver, he still has the option to shop around for auto insurance because premiums differ widely among car insurance providers.

Then again, a premium increase could be the least of your brother’s difficulties because his car insurance could be terminated or not be renewed, especially if he is in a preferred rate class at the moment. Then he would be pushed to find new auto insurance coverage with two unpleasant conditions with him — his DUI conviction and car insurance policy cancellation under his belt.

I probably just have to go directly to the auto insurance company of the guy who smashed into my car here in Alabama. Since I wasn’t the one who caused the accident, can I possibly do that?

Adriano

Huntsville, AL

I presume that you got all the information of the guy who smashes into your car in Alabama, including his auto insurance company’s name, a phone number you could call to reach them and their address. If so, you are ready to be a third-party claimant since it is not going to be your own auto insurance provider whom you are filing the claim with. This may cause you less trouble that being a first-party claimant since you don’t have any responsibility to that auto insurance provider. They could not order to whom they pay the funds since they don’t have a policy agreement with you. The auto insurance companies pay the claimant directly in majority of third-party claims.

In case your car has been declared a total loss, the other driver’s insurer would probably pay only you. Needless to say, in case you have a financed car, it would be your obligation to assure your lender that they get what you owe them. Being familiar with the procedures of filing a claim could help speed up the repair of your vehicle and reduce any surprises.

I am really trying very hard so that my auto insurance company doesn’t find out about my DUI conviction here in Montgomery, Alabama? Is there a way that I can keep them from finding out about my drunk driving conviction so that I won’t have higher rates?

Ben

Montgomery, AL

You can keep your drunk driving conviction in Montgomery, Alabama but it won’t take long before your auto insurance provider finds out about it because you would have to file for an SR22 insurance sooner or later so that your driver’s license will be reinstated. SR22 form is a requirement for drunk driver in the state of Alabama so in most circumstances, you can’t stay away from them finding out about your drunk driving conviction. The SR22 insurance could also be a reason for your auto insurance provider to cancel your policy at the end of your coverage.

Your auto insurance provider will be required to notify you through a letter if your policy will be cancelled. If this happens, you will be forced to find another auto insurance provider while you have a policy cancellation on your record. In some other circumstances, the auto insurance provider may not be offering policies with SR22 insurance so this is another reason for your policy to be cancelled or not renewed. Auto insurance providers may keep higher insurance rates for three years because of your drunk driving conviction.

My husband usually drives home late and sometimes drunk here in Birmingham, Alabama. And if he had an accident—the cause or victim, what should be the proper way to deal with it?

Liz

Birmingham, AL

Frankly speaking, drunk driving is difficult to deal with. In Birmingham, Alabama, anybody who has been irresponsible enough driving under the influences of any alcohol and drugs is called negligence. With these circumstances you need the aid of a legal representative.

Usually, right after the accident of a drunk driver, the drunk driver’s insurance company may aim to lower the settlement and of course as a standard operating procedure, you should not give them any information or sign anything. You contact your car insurance and request a lawyer. You may be able to get the best settlement but if you are the most unfortunate driver and had had more several accident you will be having difficulty in availing a Car Insurance next time for you are an irresponsible driver.

And if you are the victim of drunk driving you can mend your injuries due to the actions of a negligent driver. The most important concern is to put the victim in its usual state. The victim of drunk driving is allowed to get punitive damages together with the other damages endured. The insurance lawyers will be able to assist you financially for mending your injuries. But you can only have insurance lawyers if you have a Car Insurance.

I was told that my auto insurance company can cancel my policy once they find out I have a suspended driver’s license because of a DUI citation here in Montgomery, Alabama. Will they give me a notification or will they cancel it right away?

Valentin

Montgomery, AL

Most of the auto insurance companies could cancel a policy at any time if you have committed one of the “canceled offense,” and one of which is losing your driving privileges due to driver’s license suspension. Having a suspended driver’s license because of your DUI citation in Montgomery, Alabama is a ground for the termination of your auto insurance policy. Your auto insurer can’t just cancel your policy once they find out about your DUI case. They would have to give you a written notice for the cancellation of your auto insurance policy.

State laws vary on the number of days that the auto insurance company should provide notice before the cancellation takes effect, but you can expect that your auto insurer would give you between 10 and 30 days notice. In the notice, the auto insurance company should tell you why it has decided to cancel your auto insurance policy. Now, if having a new insurer is your problem, that can be solved if you get an online rate quote from this website and get great deals for auto insurance in Alabama.

Is it true that aside from my car insurance, my premiums for other types of insurance policies would also be affected after my drunk driving conviction in Dothan, Alabama? Would there be any way to lessen the price of my premiums after my DUI?

Mandy

Dothan, AL

There could be a lot of insurance issues after your drunk driving conviction in  Alabama. But these issues are highly regulated by each state and could vary in how they are handled, so it would be important to know the law in the state of Alabama and what variations to these issues that law could bring. Your DUI record could also impact your premiums for or coverage by other types of insurance policies, such as medical or life insurance.

There could be other ways to lessen the price of your car insurance premiums if you are paying expensive rates because of your DUI record. This includes moving to a safer neighborhood, taking a safe-driving class, paying all bills on time to boost your credit rating, moving closer to your workplace to shorten the commute, driving an older car and/or a non-sports car, maintaining a clean driving record, adding safety equipment to your car or staying current on your insurance premiums. If you are currently looking for a lesser price but great car insurance, try to get an online rate quote available from this website.

I have a DUI conviction here in Hoover, Alabama and of course, that means I have to get SR22 car insurance. How can I go about getting the best car insurance rate possible when I was just convicted for DUI?

Vaughn

Hoover, AL

I’m sorry to tell you this but you have just been classified as ‘high risk’ driver because of your DUI conviction. However, despite of your label by insurance companies as being high risk, you still have options when it comes to your SR22 auto insurance. You just have to remember that there are still many insurance companies that specialize in these types of car insurance policies and more specifically DUI car insurance policies. They know that there is a big market need for those who happen to have a DUI conviction and they design their business around it.

So, when you are shopping for SR22 car insurance, the only way to get the lowest rate is to get rate quotes from as many different sources as possible. But, I tell you what, you can actually start your search here because you can get an online rate quote for great SR22 car insurance in Hoover, Alabama from this site. SR22 quotes are free and good thing about it there is no obligation to use any insurance company by getting a quote from them. You have to seek out quotes from as many providers and/or brokers as possible to get the best deal for your SR22 car insurance.