How Will Drunk Driving Conviction Affect My Auto Insurance Rates?
Reader’s Question:
My daughter is away at college and was recently arrested for underage drinking. She does not have a vehicle at school but her license has been suspended for 3 months. She is on my auto insurance and I would like to know this affect my insurance rates? I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Henry
Lancaster, PA
Even though your daughter is away at college, since she stays on your auto insurance it is likely that her underage drinking violation could affect your car insurance rates. An insurance carrier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will normally take into account the driving histories of all household members, especially those listed as drivers on the insurance policy.
Since insurance carrier’s rating systems vary, to check for sure how your daughter’s violation of the law will affect your car insurance rates contact your insurance broker. Also your insurance carrier’s rating system should be filed with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department if you would rather contact them for this information.
Can I Get a Leaners Drivers Permit Before 16 in Pennsylvania?
Reader’s Question:
Can I get my driver’s permit before I turn sixteen in Pennsylvania?
Mary
Levittown, Pennsylvania (PA)
No, to the best of my knowledge you cannot get a learner’s permit in Pennsylvania before the age of sixteen. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Driver and Vehicles services as well as the PA driver’s manual, you must be sixteen years of age or older in order to apply for a learner’s permit.
Young drivers will also receive a Parent/Guardian Certification Form when they are issued a learner’s permit. This form is documents of the 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice. Young drivers must bring the completed certification form with them when they return to take the road portion of the driver licensing exam (6 months or more after getting their permit).
In Pennsylvania the earliest age that young drivers can qualify for a full unrestricted driver’s license in is 17 ½. These young drivers must have held a junior driver’s license for at least 1 full year, completed a state-approved driver’s education course, remained crash- and conviction-free, and to qualify for an unrestricted license before the age of eighteen.
Teen DUI Car Insurance in Pennsylvania
Reader’s Question:
I am under 18 and I receive a DUI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If I go through the ARD program, will my car insurance go up at all?
John
Philadelphia, PA
They permit for an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) for first time DUI offenders in Pennsylvania. When a DUI offender is accepted into an ARD program the state will then suspends their charges however they will require that certain court ordered conditions are met. These conditions may include community service, drug and alcohol counseling, etc. In addition to a probationary program the ARD program requires a period of supervision.
The ARD is a one-time alternative to a conviction, trial, and possible mandatory jail sentence for the conviction of driving under the influence in Pennsylvania. There is a $500 processing fee and you can expect to pay a fine, a fee for alcohol safe driving class, court costs,and a probation supervision fee.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department states that if you are convicted of a DUI, whether or not you complete an ARD program, your license will be revoked or suspended. This alone is a valid reason for insurance providers to increase insurance rates, cancel or non-renew your policy.
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