DWI Charges: Meet all the Penalties

No one wants to receive a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge. If you’ve received a DWI charge, you likely know how serious this infraction is.

Intoxication lessens sensory abilities. You aren’t able to recognize and react to driving risks at the same level that you are while sober. While driving intoxicated, you expose yourself and others to extreme risks.

DWI charges in the United States are serious driving violations. States have strong penalties for DWI offenders. Actions that led to DWI charges could have easily injured or killed the driver, passengers or others on the road.

The insurance risks associated with DWI charges are also very high. Should you receive a DWI charge, your insurance company will consider you a high driving risk. They might raise your insurance rates because of these risks. After multiple DWI charges, you may lose your insurance coverage altogether.

You will likely face a variety of penalties for the charges. These often include insurance penalties. To rescue your driving reputation, and possibly reduce your auto insurance rates later, meet all penalties required of you.

• Answer to all charges in court in a respectful and responsible way. Pay fines, and serve any sentences with a good record. If the court requires probation monitoring, meet with probation authorities responsibly.

• Inform your insurance company of the charges. Work with your insurance agent to make adjustments to your policies. Don’t try to lie to your insurance company about the charges.

• If the law requires a SR-22 certificate, get one from your insurance company. SR-22 certificates verify for the state DMV that you carry auto insurance. You usually have to carry these charges for a period of years.

• Seek rehabilitation or counseling services to help you avoid further DWI charges. Depending on the severity of the charge, these services may benefit you in different ways. They could help you lead a healthier life, for one. Secondly, they could be a condition to reinstate your driving privileges. Thirdly, you might be able to reduce your insurance costs at a later date if you seek this assistance.

• If your license gets suspended, meet all the requirements to get the license back.

• Consider taking a safe driving course. This can help you learn valuable safety practices to reduce the risk of future offenses.

Most importantly, don’t re-offend. The penalties for each successive DWI often get more and more severe. You will only damage your record and your insurability with multiple DWI charges.

ACF Insurance Services Inc can get you the right North Carolina DWI insurance to protect you in the event of a DWI charge. Give us a call at (919) 661-1100 for more information.