Jeff  : I was just caught for impaired driving crash? I am aftaid that I would be considered a repeated offender? Is it true that alcohol-imparied driving crashes caused by repeat offenders? Are the auto insurance rates for repeated offenders different?

Repsonse : Jeff, I would not worry much if you are strong willed and have taken the right measures so that this would never happen to you again. It is not uncommon to have one impared driving offence.

No. It is true that people with prior convictions for driving while impaired by alcohol are overrepresented among drivers in fatal crashes. According to a federal study, drivers convicted of alcohol-impaired driving during the past 3 years are at least 1.8 times as likely to be in fatal crashes as drivers with no prior convictions during the same time period and are at least 4 times as likely to be in fatal crashes in which drivers have high BACs (0.10 percent or higher).¹³

However, in 2007 only 8 percent of drivers in fatal crashes with high BACs (0.08 percent or higher) had previous alcohol-impaired driving convictions on their records. The actual incidence of previous convictions could be higher, because information on convictions was available for only the prior 3 years. In addition, some alcohol offenses are not included on driver records because of court programs that allow drivers to remove or avoid a conviction if they attend educational programs. Still, most alcohol-impaired driving fatal crashes do not involve drivers with a long history of multiple alcohol convictions.

Repeated offenders might have their license cancelled and so will not be able to drive. DUI might be asked to apply for DUI insurance and SR22 car insurance.

Reader: Does alcohol-impaired driving differ by gender?

Research has shown that male drivers are more likely to involve in drunk driving and crash than the female drivers. This is one of the reasons also why the auto insurance rates are higher for males. According to the data available 40% of the male drivers of passenger vehicles had BAC at or above 0.08 percent. The corresponding proportion among female drivers was 21 percent. The alcohol involvement in fatal accidents was highest for males between the age of 21-40 years.

According to national roadside breath surveys, the proportion of female drunk driving is increasing compared to the man. The night driving has increased for women. The nighttime samples taken from the woman has indicated that the incidence of drunk female drivers has increased from 16% in 1973 to 31 percent to 31 percent in 1996.

The insurance companies use this data and driving history to base their car insurance rates. Prevention is better than cure. It’s best not to drive when you are drunk to avoid all the hassles of law, stress, emotional turmoil and most importantly to get involved in high car insurance premiums.

K  Desai