When a Michigan law enforcement officer charges you with operating while intoxicated or driving under the influence during a traffic stop, quite a bit hangs in the balance. Even as a first-time OWI or DUI offender, you still face the possibility of time behind bars, hundreds of dollars in fines and community service obligations, among other possible penalties.
While the fines and fees associated with a drunk driving arrest and conviction add up fast, Insure.com notes that you should also anticipate a steep hike in your automotive insurance rates in the aftermath of an OWI or DUI.
How much of an increase to expect
Michigan motorists with DUIs or OWIs on their records see some of the nation’s highest insurance rate hikes in the aftermath. If you were a pretty typical driver before your arrest, your annual insurance premiums might have fallen somewhere between $2,000 to $2,500 a year. After a drunk driving conviction, though, that number may climb to more than $8,000 per year. This is a massive jump and amounts to an approximately $6,000-a-year increase.
Why it may pay to shop around
Some insurance providers may be more generous than others to motorists with drunk driving convictions in their histories. Regardless, all auto insurers rely on their own formulas to determine how much to charge you, so the amount one provider offers may prove far more or less than that offered by a different insurance provider.
Michigan’s drunk driving laws are among the nation’s harshest. If you feel the charges lack merit, it may benefit you to investigate further.
