When an Oklahoma charge of driving under the influence leads to a conviction, you may face a wide range of serious penalties when you have your day in court. Even if you are a first-time DUI offender, you may still have to spend time behind bars, pay steep fines and turn over your driver’s license for a set amount of time. However, the consequences do not end there. Once you earn the right to begin driving again, you should anticipate having to pay a whole lot more to insure yourself behind the wheel.
Per Insure.com, several factors help determine how much your insurance rises after a DUI, including where you live and your insurance provider’s own policies, among others.
How much of a rate hike to expect
While the exact amount your insurance rates are going to rise may vary based on the details surrounding your arrest and other factors, the average Oklahoma driver with one DUI has his or her insurance rates climb an average of 44%. This means if you paid about $1,469 per year for auto insurance prior to your DUI conviction, you are going to pay closer to about $2,112 after it. This comes out to be an annual increase of about $643.
How to find the lowest possible insurance rates
Because each insurance provider computes rates differently, it may prove financially advantageous to request quotes from a few different providers. That way, if your current provider’s quote seems too high after your DUI, or if your current provider decides to stop covering you, you have other options at your disposal.
Please note that the insurance rate hike comes after a DUI conviction and not a DUI charge. If your charge does not lead to a conviction, your insurance rates should remain unchanged.
