Colorado DUI Cases And Insurance Issues are complex and confusing. Part of the mix for a Colorado DUI Lawyer in his or her advice to a client in making the decision to go to trial or not is the ultimate impact on future insurance rates for the individual and the family.
What is An SR22 Form?What is a SR22? Any Colorado resident who has had their drivers’ license revoked for DUI DWAI in Colorado is required by the Department of Revenue to obtain “Proof of Insurance” prior to reinstatement of their driving privilege.
This form of insurance, known as a “SR22” requires the insurance carrier to report any lapse in insurance coverage to the Colorado Motor Vehicle Division.
The SR22 must be maintained for a period equal to the duration of the revocation, e.g., three months for a first time revocation.
Even persons who had valid insurance at the time of their arrests must obtain SR22 coverage. While nobody knows for sure why Colorado imposes this requirement on drivers who have not broken the mandatory insurance laws, you can bet that the insurance companies lobbied heavily for this provision to assist them in detecting persons convicted of DUI. So what happens after an insurance company finds out about a drunk driving conviction?
DWAI Will a DUI Conviction Effect my Insurance? Rates?The answer to this question depends on which insurance company you use.
How a DUI or DWAI effects your insurance will depend on your driving record. Many insurance companies are actually “insurance groups” which are made up of several subsidiary companies. These subsidiary companies may treat drivers with identical records completely differently.
Generally, a driver with even one Colorado DUI or DWAI conviction can look for higher insurance rates or outright cancellation of his or her policy. This is true especially if the insurance company is one which offers lower rates for drivers with clean records.
Insurance companies can be divided into three types, conservative risk, moderate risk and high risk insurers.
Conservative Risk CompaniesWithout naming names, conservative risk companies are those who accept only drivers with clean or nearly clean records. Most conservative insurers will refuse to insure a driver with a record of serious traffic violations, particularly drunk driving convictions. If a driver is insured by one of these companies at the time they receive a DUI DWAI or DUID (drugs) conviction, the insurance company will probably terminate their coverage.
The Moderate Risk CompaniesA moderate risk insurance company is one which accepts individuals with a history of traffic violations, including drunk driving convictions, albeit at higher rates. These insurers concentrate on doing a volume business and insure both drivers with squeaky clean records and drivers with some black marks on their records. A moderate risk company may be the best bet for affordable insurance for the person with a single drunk driving conviction.
Colorado DUI Cases And Insurance Issues High Risk CompaniesThese companies specialize in insuring drivers with bad records. They will insure just about anyone but charge their customers a kings ransom. First time DUIs with otherwise clean records, should shop around if possible before insuring with a high risk insurer. The difference in rates between a high risk insurer and moderate risk insurer may be hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
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Colorado DUI Cases and Insurance IssuesH. Michael Steinberg has been a Colorado criminal law specialist attorney for 42 years (as of 2012). For the first 13 years of his career, he was an Arapahoe Douglas County District Attorney Senior prosecutor. In 1999 he formed his own law firm for the defense of Colorado criminal cases.
In addition to handling tens of thousands of cases in the criminal trial courts of Colorado, he has written hundreds of articles regarding the practice of Colorado criminal law and frequently provides legal analysis on radio and television, appearing on the Fox News Channel, CNN and Various National and Local Newspapers and Radio Stations. Please call him at your convenience at 720-220-2277.
In the Denver metropolitan area and throughout Colorado, attorney H. Michael Steinberg provides quality legal representation to those charged in Colorado adult and juvenile criminal matters.
The Colorado Steinberg Criminal Defense Law Firm serves clients charged with criminal offenses in the Denver Metro Region and throughout Colorado, including Adams County, Arapahoe County, Boulder County, Broomfield County, Denver County, Douglas County, Jefferson County, Larimer County, El Paso County, Pueblo County, Weld County and Grand County; and communities such as ; Centennial, Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, Westminster, Thornton, Northglenn, Brighton, Greenwood Village, DTC, Denver Tech Center, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, Lone Tree, Englewood, Golden, Grand Junction and all across the Front Range.
If you have questions about Colorado DUI Cases And Insurance Issues in the Denver metropolitan area and throughout Colorado, attorney H. Michael Steinberg will be pleased to answer those questions and will provide quality legal representation to those charged in Colorado with adult and juvenile criminal matters as regards .Colorado DUI Cases And Insurance Issues.