How long does a DUI affect insurance in Tennessee?

Insurance companies find out about DUI by checking a driver’s record before selling or renewing a policy. Drivers are not legally obligated to inform their insurance company when they are convicted of DUI, and the insurer will not receive a notification from the state DMV. However, once a DUI is on a driving record, an insurance company is certain to find out about it, so it’s always best to upfront after being convicted.... read full answer

Whenever you’re looking to buy a new insurance policy or renew an existing one, the insurance company will check your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), which is a report of your driving history from your state’s department of motor vehicles. Exactly when your insurance company will find out about your DUI depends on when and how often they run your record, but they’ll eventually see it. Your insurer will also find out about your DUI if you require an SR-22 or FR-44, which are state-issued forms that serve as verification of insurance for extremely high-risk drivers.

As tempting as it might be to keep quiet about your DUI conviction, you should contact your insurer to find out what to do moving forward. If your current insurance company decides not to renew your policy, you’ll need to look for high-risk coverage elsewhere. Since high-risk insurance costs more than a normal policy, it’s best to get as many quotes as possible. If you struggle to find a company that will insure you, you might need to temporarily get a policy through a nonstandard insurer or your state’s assigned-risk pool while your driving record improves.

Car insurance companies will cover DUI accidents in most cases. The amount the car insurance company will pay for and the impact the DUI accident has on your premium will depend on the auto insurance company, your specific coverage levels, and your state’s laws.

Some states like, New York and Michigan, explicitly allow insurance companies to exclude DUI from certain policies. These exclusions usually apply to anything beyond liability coverage, which means if you cause a DUI-related accident, your insurance company may refuse to pay for any costs that you incur but will cover injuries and damage you inflict on other drivers and their vehicles, up to the policy’s limit. With that being said, if you cause an accident while under the influence and your insurance company won’t cover your expenses based on a policy exclusion, you’ll want to get a written copy of your policy and make sure that the exclusion applies to your exact situation.... read full answer

Although insurance companies will usually end up paying for DUI accidents, they might try to deny your claim in certain other situations, too. In general, insurance companies only accept claims for unintentional events, so while they won’t pay if you set your car on fire, for example, you’re covered in the event of a legitimate accident. DUI is generally considered to be an unintentional accident, but your insurance company might argue that by knowingly putting yourself behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, you intentionally caused the wreck. If they deny your claim as a result, then you’ll need to get a lawyer to fight the decision.

Even if your DUI accident is fully covered by your policy, you’ll almost certainly face repercussions from your insurance company. At the very least, you should expect your insurance premiums to skyrocket as a result of your increased risk. You might also be dropped from your policy entirely, although some states – California and North Carolina, for example – prevent insurance companies from doing that before the policy’s expiration.

A DUI affects insurance rates for 3-10 years, depending on the driver’s state and insurance company. Most insurance companies look back 3-5 years for infractions on a driving record, but some look back as far as seven years. And even if a DUI doesn’t cause a driver’s rates to skyrocket long-term, it can have a lingering effect on costs. For example, insurance companies in California legally can’t offer you a good driver discount for 10 years after a DUI conviction.... read full answer

During the period in which it directly affects premiums, a DUI conviction causes insurance rates to rise by about 80% on average, although each insurer and state is different. If you practice good habits in the years following a DUI, however, you’ll eventually see your rates fall back down.

Since every insurance company has its own lookback period for driving records, you’ll need to check with your insurer to know exactly how long your rates will be affected by a DUI. But keep in mind that even after your costs go down, a DUI will likely appear on your driving record for much longer, depending on your state. While some states like Maryland and Hawaii only require it to remain for five years, others such as Texas and Oregon keep it on your record for life.