Driving Under The Influence Can Affect Your Premium

By Author: Danny Aaron
Total Articles: 67
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Everyone knows that car insurance is not always the cheapest thing you can purchase, although it is a necessity. With the right amount of shopping around and quote comparison, you will be able to find the insurance company that is right for you. There are many factors affecting your insurance premium, some which can be controlled, and others which cannot, such as your age and driving history.

Unfortunately car insurance companies are starting to see a trend which is pushing the price of premiums right up. This is driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Nowadays one of the highest causes of road accident is caused by people who are driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol, you could face a spell in prison! In some countries, your car could even be confiscated. Even if you do not have an accident, you could easily find that the premium on your car will have risen exorbitantly! After you have a mark on your driving record for being caught driving whilst under the influence of alcohol, the car insurance companies will automatically ...
... classify you into a higher risk bracket. This is because due to extensive statistical studies, they know that someone who is inclined to drive under the influence of alcohol will then be more likely to be involved in a collision, due to the high incidences of DUI accidents recorded.

This only goes as far to say with driving under the influence of alcohol, whereas being caught driving under the influence of recreational drugs can have a far more devastating effect. People are fooled into believing that police do not have methods of testing for drugs on the side of the road, but they do. If you are caught driving under the influence of drugs, you could find your insurance premium doubled! This is because you would have been caught dabbling in illegal activities, as well as driving your vehicle whilst in a less than able state.

To understand why driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol raises your premium so drastically, you have to understand risk profiles. Risk profiles are made by insurance companies based on statistics which have been compiled over many years. Men are usually seen as riskier to insure than women, as they have been proven to drive more recklessly than women. If the statistics show that the majority of accidents are caused by driving under the influence, it in turn places people caught driving DUI under a much higher premium.

Regardless of the potential effect on your car insurance premium should you be caught, you have the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users to take into consideration. If you are in a collision where someone is injured or even killed, and you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you could be arrested and imprisoned for the rest of your life! Never mind the way you will feel living with that on your conscience forever. It is just not worth the risk.
Hollard Pay As You Drive offers car insurance on a per kilometre you travel basis. Visit http://www.payasyoudrive.co.za for your car insurance quotes.