In the United States, drunk driving is a major social problem. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death on our roads today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Each day, 29 people die in the United States because they were involved with an alcohol-impaired driver.
However, most states require insurance coverage for drivers who get into accidents while under the influence of drugs or alcohol—but not all states do.
In some cases, you may be uninsured if you get into an accident when your blood-alcohol content is above the legal limit. In other cases, your insurer may not pay for injuries if you were impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of an accident. So it’s important to know what kind of insurance coverage you have before going out to drink and socialize!
Insurance Coverage For Drink And Drug Drivers
Many people are not aware of their insurance coverage possibilities when they are high on drugs or alcohol. If you are caught driving under the influence, there are three things to consider.
First, your car insurance company may refuse to cover your car if you have an accident;
Second, most car insurers will raise your rates at the next policy renewal after a DUI, and you can find out more about that here.
Second, if the incident is severe enough to result in a criminal conviction or any other type of administrative action leading to driver’s license suspension, you will be unable to continue driving legally.
There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, you may have separate coverage if your state offers an accident provision for drunk driving. This is typically offered by most states as an optional coverage on standard auto policies. You can also have separate liability coverage for cases of drunk or drugged driving.
If you have no coverage for drunk and drug drivers, your car insurance company may take the necessary steps to protect its interests by placing a notification on your policy that will prevent any other driver from using it when they are under influence. No matter what state you live in there is always some kind of protection for you under these circumstances.
The Law On Drink And Drug Drivers
Different states have different legal requirements for drunk and drug drivers, depending on the level of intoxication.
For example, if you are caught driving under the influence in New York State with a blood alcohol content (BAC) higher than 0.08%, it is considered to be an “aggravated” drunk driving offense—one that requires the state to revoke your license for at least six months.
However, if you are caught driving with a BAC higher than 0.08% in Utah—even if it’s your first offense—it will be treated as an “aggravated” drunk-driving incident that requires revocation of your driver’s license. To avoid serious criminal charges, including jail time and large fines, you’ll need to contact a DUI attorney immediately!
In general terms, there are two types of drunk-driving offenses: those that involve “misdemeanors” or minor crimes punishable by fine only; and those that include felony convictions with the possibility of imprisonment.
As far as drinking and driving are concerned, the law varies from state to state in the United States—and even within a single jurisdiction. For example, if you live in Washington State then your BAC level must be 0.08% or higher for it to qualify as a drunk-driving offense punishable by fine only; but in Oregon, the same BAC level is punishable by a felony and imprisonment.
Different states also have different rules about how long you must wait to drive again after getting caught: in most cases, it’s between 48 hours and one week, but some require as much as four weeks without any alcohol consumption at all before driving legally.
As you can see, there are many factors to take into account when it comes to drinking and drug driving.
Consequences Of Being Caught Driving Drink Or Drugs
Drinking and driving is a common crime committed in many parts of the world, especially in countries with high per capita alcohol consumption. Drinking and driving is a major contributor to accidents.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs may lead to injury, death, and property damage. The penalties for driving after drinking too much can be severe.
The penalties vary by country and state/region. If an individual is caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they may face heavy fines, loss of their driver’s license for a certain time period, imprisonment in some cases, and be required to attend special education courses on alcohol use while intoxicated or enroll in rehabilitation programs. And when you’re facing charges, you might want to seek help from pardon and expungement lawyers to have a clean slate.
Obviously nobody wants things to get to this stage where your life is held together by a thread in the aftermath of a stupid accident. If you feel that your alcohol consumption may lead you to a place where you feel you can drink and drive, now is the time to take a step back and assess what you can do to rectify it. If you can turn back towards drinking responsibly then you’ll be less likely to be drunk and decide to get behind the wheel. Reducing your regular alcohol intake can also improve your cognitive ability, thus improving your decision making skills. Bear in mind that this doesn’t have to be a punishment, you can begin your recovery in style by using a high quality treatment service in order to replace excessive alcohol consumption with healthier habits, as well as explore the root causes for your alcohol consumption levels and aim to rectify issues you may have. This will help you to avoid having a nightmare drink driving accident, this is definitely something you don’t want to happen.
When you are caught drunk driving or driving on drugs, this will go on your driving record, and you will have to shop around for insurance that doesn’t cost a premium. There is a helpful article on BuyInsurance.com about how far back auto insurance companies look when it comes to your driving record and calculating your risk.
Drinking and Driving is a Dangerous Combination.
Not only are you putting your life at risk, but you’re also risking the lives of others by getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs. What if something goes wrong? Who will take responsibility for any injury or death that occurs because someone made this reckless decision?
If anything happens to anyone in an accident caused by drunk drivers, they could be liable for damages in civil court even if it turns out that their blood-alcohol concentration was below the legal limit when they were pulled over.
To cover all bases before embarking on such a risky endeavor, make sure you have sufficient insurance coverage so your assets are protected should there ever be consequences from being caught driving under the influence.
