Hubby DUI -- Insurance Going Down?!?!?

[Janeshirley]

Hi everyone this is my first post, so thank you for bearing with me if I don't say things in the correct terms. I will be happy to post any answers to what I don't clarify right in this first post.

My question:

My dear husband got a DUI. We have auto and home with State Farm and expect to get cancelled or priced out of what we can afford. So we have been looking at other options. We ignored many offers that seemed too sketchy to waste money on, but Farmers has offered us a quote a touch under what we have been paying to State Farm prior to the DUI.

Well that sounds great but my question is how can we go from having insurance with no DUIs to insurance with an SR22 for a DUI driver that is slightly less? Is there some angle here I am missing or are we just fortunate?

The current State Farm insurance is about 200 a month for a single car Mercedes station wagon just less than ten years old. Farmers is offering identical coverage for a little over $936/6 months -- 156 a month vs. 203. We want to take it, but how can that be possible when the State Farm rate set prior to the DUI is lower than the Farmers quote they gave us after we informed them of the DUI (and they sya the DUI is showing up on their computer)?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I appreciate that there is a lot of expertise on this board and would be very happy if you would give me some insight into our situation.

 

[jlanier]

This happens a lot more often than people think.

I have had folks that have been with State Farm for years who got into this type of situation and ended up saving money on their premium. Then again, sometimes I can't even come close to SF with customers without incidents.

Not sure what state you're in but $203/month seems high anyway. Long story short you were probably just paying too much with State Farm all along.

Be prepared to switch your home as well as State Farm will remove the sizable multi policy discount.

 

[SecureHealth1]

So let me get this straight, your husband got a DUI and now you want advise on getting coverage that you can afford? Seriously?

 

[djs]

So let me get this straight, your husband got a DUI and now you want advise on getting coverage that you can afford? Seriously?

Why not? Not sure I understand the concern here.

Janeshirley - A few things.....
State Farm should be able to add an SR-22 to your existing policy till it renews. From now till the renewal comes up, the rate shouldn't change, though it will change significantly on renewal. There will be an SR-22 fee, but it should be a one time charge of about $20 (could vary depending on the state).

There is something else that has caused a change that StateFarm didn't pick up on. It does sound like you are paying a bit much on your current policy, but, there is likely a reason for it, such as a previous accident or ticket which may be falling off. Also, again, depending on your state, it could be your insurance score has improved. Both State Farm and Farmers rate heavy on insurance scores if allowed.

On the Farmers side, make sure the incidents are rated. As long as they are then you should be good to go.

An alternative strategy to manage insurance costs is to get a second car, an older one that you can carry just liability on and have your husband rated as the driver of that car. Not all carriers work this way though many do. If you have no need for a second car, then this isn't that practical though.

Dan

 

[Indiana_Adam]

Jlanier is correct. No angle. Rates go up and down. I would recommend NOT canceling State Farm until the Farmers policy is issued and processed through under writing. That way, if there are major changes or issues, you're not stuck or running back to State Farm asking them to take you back. I would also do what Jlanier mentioned and have them quote the home as well. You need to look at the home and auto as a whole package. Most companies have great rates in one category and just so so on the other, but you come out ahead keeping it all together, most of the time. Just need to look at the whole picture, as Farmers may have great auto, but offset by higher Home rate.

Beyond that, you should just be happy he didn't kill anyone and that you're still getting a good rate on the auto insurance.

 

[CASouth]

The DUI doesn't show in the driving record till after the conviction date ( not the incident date) and insurance carriers go by convection date. but insurance carriers also rate by the ZIP code; recently I found Met cheaper than Safeco and Traveler by $400 annually only if I don't input the Car Value NEW in the rater.

 

[Janeshirley]

Thanks to everyone for these great answers, they have helped me out a lot.