Effects of DUI on Auto Insurance in Aliso Viejo

Besides facing the penalties that a DUI conviction will bring, a DUI conviction can have several other negative effects on you. The legal and financial consequences associated with the DUI are also bound to affect you for a long time. The large fines and legal fees that come with a DUI conviction can take a large toll on you financially. DUI penalties are designed to deter individuals from driving under the influence. Likewise, DUI fines are meant to help victims of DUI drivers as well as go toward educating the general public on the risks of driving while intoxicated.

In the city of Aliso Viejo, some of the effects on your auto insurance policy due to a DUI conviction will be as follows:

1. Some auto insurance companies may choose not to cover you anymore while others may choose to switch you to a ‘high risk’ division where you will pay much higher premiums. Auto insurance companies see you as a driver as having a much higher potential for being more dangerous than others because of your tendency to not only put you in danger as the operator of a motor vehicle, but also those that are driving around you. Alcohol has the power to affect driving abilities by slowing reaction times and affecting our ability to monitor speeds, which can heavily impair one’s driving ability.
2. The period of time the DUI will affect your insurance policy will depend on whether the auto insurance company has access to your DUI records.

   In Aliso Viejo,

   • A DMV record cannot be removed or concealed for 10 years. After this period, the record is automatically removed.
   • A DUI criminal record can be expunged after you have met certain conditions of the DUI. After successful expungement of the DUI criminal record, the auto insurance company will not have access to your DUI criminal records.

   After your DUI records are cleared or sealed, you will then have a chance of facing normal treatment from the auto insurance company once more, but this will usually take several years.

3. If someone else drives your vehicle and they are convicted of a DUI, then you will not usually face any consequences from the auto insurance company unless you are both named in your vehicle’s insurance policy.

However, it should be noted that the severity of how high your premiums increase vary from auto insurance company to auto insurance company. While in one case, your insurance may more than double per month, another company may increase your rates by less. It is important to browse your options and look at all the potential outcomes when considered insurance after a DUI conviction.

Another important note that after a DUI conviction, you may have to obtain certain forms in order to certify insurance coverage as a proof of financial responsibility before being able to drive again.

All the same, it is important to call a competent DUI attorney to help you in court and avoid any DUI charges from going on your record.