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The effects of a DUI conviction are long-lasting and serious. Not only will you face jail time, fines and possibly community service or alcohol programs, but your car insurance and job will also be affected.
DUI & Insurance
If you are convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol in any of the United States, your DUI citation will cause a major spike in your car insurance premiums. The exact severity of the impact depends on the insurer’s specific policies about DUI convictions. However, your insurer will learn about your DUI arrest, and may respond appropriately.
Auto insurance companies usually verify your driving record only once every three years or when you apply for a new policy. While every accident, ticket, and DUI may not always be reflected on your driving record, if your insurance company discovers a DUI conviction and categorizes you as a “high-risk driver,” you should shop around, since rates vary widely.
For instance, you might find that your premiums increase. In fact, it is very likely that they will after a DUI conviction appears on your record. In some cases, the insurer may even refuse to renew your policy or might, at the very least, restrict some of the provisions of your coverage.
The increased premiums could be very expensive to you. In some cases, the payments could increase to double the amount that they were before. Typically, the worse the circumstances surrounding your case, the more expensive the premiums are. Your DUI conviction will immediately make you a high-risk target that your insurer needs to watch out for.
Additionally, if your DUI arrest and conviction were also accompanied by other high-risk actions, like an accident which resulted in injuries or fatalities, or if you have a long record of unpaid traffic tickets, and other traffic offenses, you might find that your insurer is no longer as willing to look favorably on you. Because of this, your insurance policy could be cancelled, or your insurer might refuse to renew it. In fact, many big name insurance companies do not insure high-risk drivers after a DUI conviction.
If that happens, you’ll be shopping to find new insurance with the twofold disadvantage of a DUI conviction and an insurance policy cancellation on your record. Don’t let this happen to you; if you’re charged with DUI anywhere in or near Denver, consult immediately with an experienced Denver DUI lawyer.
Colorado compels a DUI offender to obtain an SR-22 from his or her car insurance company. It’s a form which tells the state that you carry liability insurance, and requires your insurer to notify the state if your car insurance is cancelled for any reason. SR-22 forms are not insurance policies, but rather evidence that you legally carry insurance. After a DUI, you could be required to carry a SR-22 for up to five years.
However, some insurers don’t offer SR-22; your policy could be cancelled or non-renewed because the company can’t provide the coverage you now require.
To summarize: a DUI conviction will radically raise your auto insurance premiums, and those premiums likely will never sink back to the sum that you pay now. That’s one reason it’s imperative to have the counsel of a knowledgeable DUI attorney if you face any DUI charge in the Denver area. While there are no guarantees in any criminal case, a good DUI lawyer will make every effort to have the charge reduced or dismissed; if your case goes to trial, an experienced DUI attorney will advocate aggressively for your acquittal. It’s your best hope for justice. Increased insurance premiums are only the beginning of the bad news if you’re convicted; fines, jail, and the loss of your driver’s license are among the potential penalties. If you face the charge in the Denver area – now or in the future – get the help you need and contact an experienced Denver DUI lawyer immediately.
DUI & Employment
There are a number of ways that a DUI conviction can impact your job. The conviction can have a devastating impact on your employment potential. If you are currently without a job, and need a car for job hunting and interviews, you will find it very difficult to get around without a car. Public transit simply may not work for you. For help after a DUI arrest, consult with a Denver criminal defense attorney.
Additionally, if you are without a without a license, you are unable to travel to your place of employment. One of the reasons why license suspensions have such a devastating economic potential for workers is the fact that many new places of work like manufacturing units are being located further and further away from the cities. That means that you need a car to get your place of work, and in the absence of a car, your ability to get to work is hampered.
Apart from license suspensions which prevent you from being able to get to work, there are a number of other ways that a DUI conviction can make it difficult to go to work, or to get a good job.
For example, some types of professional licenses like those for doctors or lawyers can require, that you disclose a DUI arrest and conviction to the licensing agency. In some cases, you may find that that you lose your professional license, as a result of the DUI conviction.
You will find it difficult to get employment as a commercial driver. Your employer may have no other choice but to fire you if your job manual or policy handbook expressly prohibits you from getting a DUI conviction while in service.
A DUI conviction will also likely show up when your potential employer conducts a criminal background screening check. Employers may not be allowed to come right out and ask if you have been arrested for DUI in the past. But they can conduct background screening checks, and if your DUI conviction comes up, then that makes it less likely that that you will land the job.
Besides, when you are convicted, you are probably likely to have to attend DUI education programs, or even spend a few days in jail. That means days lost off work and absenteeism. Your employer may not be very understanding about the fact that you are unable to come to work, because you were convicted of driving while drunk.
Speak to a domestic violense attorney in Denver about the consequences of a DUI on your professional license.
