A Pennsylvania drunk driving conviction may do more than embarrass you or potentially threaten your academic or professional future – it may, too, wind up costing you a significant amount of money. While you should expect to have to pay substantial fines relating to your conviction, you are also going to incur additional expenses once you earn back the privilege to drive again.
For example, once you begin driving again, the state is going to require that you install an ignition interlock device on your car for at least a year. You are responsible for paying installation and maintenance fees while it remains there. Furthermore, Insure.com asserts that you are also going to see your car insurance premiums increase substantially once you have a conviction for driving under the influence.
Just how high might your insurance premiums climb once you have a drunk driving conviction? The average Pennsylvania motorist who receives a DUI watches his or her annual auto insurance expenses increase by about 52%. In other words, before your DUI, you likely forked over about $1,483 to your insurance company each year in exchange for coverage, provided you were a relatively average driver.
After a DUI conviction, though, the average Pennsylvania driver has to pay about $2,192 per year for car insurance, which is an increase of $754 a year. Ultimately, you may find considerable variation among how much insurance companies charge drivers with DUIs for coverage, so it may serve you well to shop around for the most affordable provider. You may, too, find that some insurance companies prefer not to offer you coverage at all once you have a drunk driving conviction.