Impact of Anne Arundel County DUI on Insurance
An Anne Arundel County DUI conviction can have potentially negative effects on a person’s vehicle insurance, in addition to other serious consequences to a person’s life. The conviction can cause the insurance company to hike their rate, or even to drop the convicted driver’s policy in certain cases. Therefore, if facing a DUI charge in Anne Arundel County, it is important you consult with an attorney in order to mitigate the damage as much as possible and keep your insurance rates from going up any more than necessary. To learn more specifically what steps an attorney can take for your specific case, call and schedule a consultation today.
How a DUI Charge Can Impact Insurance
Simply being charged with a DUI should have no effect on a person’s insurance. A DUI conviction, however, may have an impact on their insurance as generally, their insurance will either increase or they will be dropped from their policy altogether. Each insurance company has its own rules in regards to what they do for their insured drivers if they are convicted of DUI. At minimum, there will be a premium increase, if not, outright termination of the policy.
An insurance company can drop someone from coverage at any time based on whatever criteria they have. This could include dropping them because they have too many points on their record or because they have racked up too many moving violations during a certain period of time.
When An Insurance Company May Drop Someone
How and when an insurance company drops a driver’s coverage will be stated clearly in their policy; different policies have different reasons why the insured can be dropped. Some insurance policies will drop an individual if they are convicted of a DUI. There is one company that will drop an individual if they receive probation before judgment for a DUI, but there is only one company like that. Most companies require a conviction, rather than just probation before judgment.
Steps an Attorney Can Take
There are a lot of insurance carriers that will not raise a driver’s rates or drop them from their policy, so long as they received the benefit of probation before judgment which is one potential route that an attorney can pursue.
When consulting a lawyer for the first time, it is important for someone to bring all of their insurance information, not only at their initial consultation, but maybe the subsequent consultation as well, so that their attorney can share with them what could possibly happen in terms of their insurance. It is not their duty to report any DUI charges that they might have received to their insurance company, unless their agreement with their insurance company states otherwise.
Benefits of Consulting a DUI Lawyer
Consulting with a lawyer may help an individual avoid a DUI conviction, depending on where they are in their case. An Anne Arundel County DUI lawyer may also be able to provide guidance to the individual as to how to handle the problem with their insurance company and help prepare them for what they should expect given the facts of their case and the potential penalties.
A DUI attorney can assist in trying to avoid points altogether for someone’s DUI, even if the court finds them guilty. In those circumstances, they may see no increase in their insurance rates even if the court actually finds them guilty, if a DUI attorney properly petitions the court to not have the points put on your driving record. A local DUI attorney may also help in getting an acquittal, in which case insurance companies would be unlikely to raise a driver’s rates or drop them from their policy. To learn more or begin building a defense for your case, call and schedule a consultation today.