San Diego DUI criminal defense lawyers at www.SanDiegoDUIlawyer.com remind that a San Diego California is a serious offense. If you have ever had a San Diego California DUI conviction, you most certainly know that the consequences can be both humiliating and expensive. Aside from the San Diego DUI fines, San Diego DUI criminal defense attorney fees, and license suspension, there are the more long-term consequences, such as the impact on your car insurance rates and coverage.
If you are convicted of a San Diego DUI, more often than not, your insurance company will find out about the DUI and will deal with you in one of two ways. Typically, your rates will go up, sometimes substantially, or, the company will simply cancel your policy.
If your insurance company raises your premiums but keeps you as an insured, you will likely be labeled a “high-risk driver.” California requires the insurance company to provide the state motor vehicle agency (DMV, MVD) with an SR-22 Proof of Insurance Certificate, which removes your license suspension by providing the state with proof that you are insured.
While this is all starting to sound fine, the catch is that not all insurance companies offer SR-22 policies.
So your policy may be non-renewed or cancelled simply because the company can no longer provide insurance for you.
Another less-likely scenario is that your insurance company doesn’t find out about your San Diego California DUI because, for whatever reason.
One reason is that you avoid a San Diego DUI conviction and prevail at the San Diego DMV APS hearing. Or, it slips through the cracks of red tape, particularly if you have an out of state license. Occasionally, your insurer may not raise your rates or cancel you if you have been with them a long time with no other blemishes on your record. www.SanDiegoDrunkDrivingAttorney.net/articles