In this Sunday’s big game on the gridiron, it’ll be either the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
But in the game of car-key keep-away, there aren’t any losers. Police will undoubtedly be keeping a wary eye on the roads during the football festivities, so don’t be that dumb drunk driver who tries his or her luck behind the wheel.
Let’s run down what happens to you when you’re caught driving and inebriated.
Your Insurance Rates
When it comes to the price of auto insurance, expect your rates to cost a much prettier penny after a DUI conviction.
An OnlineAutoInsurance.com analysis looked at the sample profile of a male driver living in Los Angeles with a 2011 Honda Accord covered by a 50/100/50 policy with collision, comprehensive, and medical payments coverage.
Using premium data from between 8 to 11 insurers and different ages of the sample profile, the analysis found that:
–A DUI can hike the price of a 20-year-old’s policy between 25 to 76 percent, meaning an average annual increase of $1,169.
–For a 25-year-old, the average increase amounted to $805 more in annual premiums after a DUI.
–For a 30-year-old, the average hike was $693.
–For a 35-year-old, the average hike was $702.
Your Driving Record
And the hits won’t stop there. A DUI conviction could even dictate which insurer you have.
A DUI-related mark on your driving record makes you an unsavory policyholder for insurers who might require you to get high-risk auto insurance that is more expensive.
This option isn’t available at every insurer, so some might force you from the company because of a DUI conviction, meaning you’ll have to find another insurer that offers such high-risk policies.
Drivers convicted of DUIs should also expect costly fines, incarceration, or suspension of a driver’s license. The mix and extent of the penalties vary between states.
Hosts Are Liable Too
Drinking too much isn’t just a problem for party-goers, but party-throwers as well.
Laws determining social host liability come into play, especially on celebratory days like the Super Bowl. Social host liability means that if it was your party where a person got drunk, drove home, and caused serious harm to others, you could be held partly responsible.
The Insurance Information Institute provides this handy state-by-state guide to social host liability, along with a few tips on how to spare yourself some headache if your guests are enjoying their liquor too much.
