Home › Criminal Law › DUI › If I cause an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol, will me insurance pay? Should they pay?
If I cause an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol, will me insurance pay? Should they pay?
Thank you all for your valued input. Please understand that I asked this question to prove a point, not because of an actual event. This is a very volitile subject and you have given me the answers I needed. By reading your response I hope to show that the public (infact the whole world) takes a very dim view of those who drink and drive.
Thank You all
This very much depends on which country you are in.
You couldn’t be bothered to say, I can’t be be bothered to guess!
No you should pay. You could of killed someone. Think.
Will they? Don’t know. Should they? No, and your car should be taken away from you and destroyed.
No, they shouldn’t pay. If you’re stupid enough to drive while drunk, then you should have to bear the costs. Some people never learn until it hits them hard enough in the wallet.
My insurance company would pay, and then they will raise my insurance rates so high I won’t be able to afford to drive anymore – which, under the circumstances, is a good thing. As to whether they should pay, I believe they should because it is not the victim’s fault that you caused an accident and they would be the ones who would suffer. That’s what premiums and risk factors are all about.
Presuming you are in the US, or a country with similar laws….
It depends on your coverage. Generally, an accident caused by your own drunk-driving would fall under liabilty converage, possibly medical-payments coverage, and maybe some comprehensive coverage. Provided you have enough coverage, yes, they will pay… but you better expect your rates to SKYROCKET afterwards.
Do everyone a favor and just don’t drive while intoxicated. Or do yourself a favor and remember that, in a DUI-accident, it’s more likely that the drunk driver will survive and the person they hit will not. Do you want to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you killed someone?
In the US, the standard auto policy does NOT include an exclusion for accidents that occur while the driver is operating under the influence of anything. But the endorsement DOES exist. I have only ever seen it used on commercial auto policies, and only once, actually, in 21 years.
You can, however, be an excluded driver on the policy, in which case, the insurance doesn’t apply – regardless of influence.
Should they pay? Absolutely. The POINT of that coverage, is to pay for the damages of the innocent party. The operator will be “punished” by the rating system. Contracts must be adhered to, and the occasional DUI driver is factored into the rates.
Are YOU covered? Who knows? I don’t know what country you are in, or what policy form you have, or if you’re an excluded operator. Ask your agent, or read your policy.
SOME DO AND SOME DO NOT, YOU WILL NEED TO READ THE FINE PRINT ON YOUR INSURANCE POLICY.
I BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT IF ANYONE IS CAUGHT WHILE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
You should pay for everything out of pocket
your insurance should be cancelled
your license revoked – not suspended.
And lastly you should be charged with a felony:
OUIL – DWI -
It’s better than a negligent homicide charge. THATS LIFE
I cant immagine they ever would if you are that stupid!
Yes, insurance policies will cover driver who are DUI… as it should. Some states will allow the policy limits to be dropped down to the state minimum (i.e. the policy would not provide coverage if allowed, but that is against public interest, so it drops down to the lowest coverage allowed).
As I somewhat mentioned above… people are forgetting who the insurance covers. If the insurance did not address the loss, the _OTHER_ innocent person would be left with nothing. The DUI person has liability coverage to address the loss caused _to others_… and DUI is just another reason why someone caused an accident.
If you think about it, DUI is about the most focused on infraction there is when it comes to driving. The alcohal limits are _extreemly_ low, the methods that can be used to detect those levels are some of the most obtrusive and the penalties are some of the most severe. People love to hate people who are DUI (rightfully so) but other things, such as driving while tired, are just as dangerous… and preventable.
My only point is that DUI is just one of the many things drivers do wrong… and it’s odd that _so_ many people drive while legally intoxicated (the same people who think DUI drivers should be shot). Yes, it’s wrong… yes, there should be strict penalties… but they should be in line with the crime.