Auto Insurance Canada

The Costs of Drinking and Driving

There are many penalties and consequences to drinking and driving. Most of them are quite obvious and need no reminder. While it is not a surprise that it is often in the “heat of the moment” that drunk driving occurs, such consequences often do not register until it is too late.

Yet awareness and education is always one of the best ways to deter this kind of behavior. Learning about why safety is important and the consequences that ensue when the usual rules of the road are not followed, is an important method in deterring people from acting in irresponsible and careless ways. While education, learning programs and workshops on drunk driving can often become a “scare tactic” more than . ..

. .a real preventative program. But at the end of the day, whether by scare tactics or by actual preventative education, if people learn and engrain in themselves an understanding of the costs and consequences of drunk driving, then there may be a few less drunk drivers on the road. And that’s worth it.

Your Car Insurance: The Costs of Drunk Driving

One way in which costs and consequences will most definitely incur upon drunk driving, is via your car insurance. One thing to do before you decide on auto insurance coverage or sign a car insurance policy is to make sure you understand their policies thru and thru.

If you are drunk driving, you are driving illegally and under illegal circumstances. When you are in this situation, your insurance policy no longer covers you.

Collision Costs. If you were in a normal accident, the Collision Coverage part of your auto insurance policy would take care of any physical damage to your car or any other car involved in the accident. However, if you are drunk driving, your insurance policy will not cover any damage to your car nor any damage done to anyone else’s vehicle. You will have to pay this from your own pocket.

Third Party Liability or Bodily Injury Costs. If you were in a normal accident, the Third Party Liability (or Bodily Injury Coverage) part of your auto insurance policy, would help you pay for any injury that you cause to a third party involved in the accident. However, if you are drunk driving and injure another person, the other person’s insurance company will cover any immediate expenses for medical or emergency purposes, but the insurance company would then most likely sue you for their costs. That could be very, very expensive for you.

Increased Costs for your Auto Insurance Rates. It’s no secret that: if you get into an accident, even a serious accident, and especially a drunk driving accident, then your auto insurance rates will almost certainly increase dramatically. If you are caught drunk driving and get fined for a DUI (driving under the influence), your auto insurance rates will still increase substantially. This is true even if you don’t get into an accident.

Your driving record or history, as good as it may have been, gets wiped out after a DUI charge, and you are required to start with a blank slate. Many insurance companies and providers, in fact, decline coverage to those who have DUI’s on their record, may choose not to renew your policy, or may even end your coverage right away.

Moreover, a DUI charge and serious accident could mean that you pay 2 or 3 times more than usual for your auto insurance coverage. These increased rates will continue for at least 6 years after the charge. To add this up, this could be thousands of dollars over the 6 years.

Drunk Driving: It’s Not Worth It.

With all the implications, costs, and consequences that could ensue if you are caught drunk driving or get into an accident – it’s not worth it. Make sure you have a designated driver when you are drinking, it’s safer for everyone involved.

If you have been caught with a DUI and are now stuck paying incredibly high auto insurance fees, hopefully you have learnt your lesson. While you have little choice in how high your rates may be, it may still be helpful to compare your car insurance quotes. Visit http://www.kanetix.ca/car-insurance for some rates, but remember that the best thing to do to get lower auto insurance rates is to drive sober.