How much can a Massachusetts OUI increase auto insurance rates?

Massachusetts takes drunk driving extremely seriously. If authorities charge you with operating under the influence and it leads to a conviction, you can expect your life to undergo considerable change. Even as a first-time drunk driver, you can still potentially lose your freedom, a significant amount of money and your right to drive, among other losses.

As you can probably imagine, the penalties and repercussions associated with operating under the influence in Massachusetts tend to increase with each subsequent offense. Even one OUI conviction can hurt your life, your ability to make a living and your wallet. Furthermore, while many of the expenses you need to take care of in the wake of an OUI conviction come straight from the court, others will likely come from your automotive insurance provider.

Steep rate hikes

Once you have a conviction for drunk driving on your record, you can plan on watching your car insurance rates spike substantially. While the amount of the increase depends on where you reside, most Massachusetts drivers can count on watching their auto insurance rates skyrocket almost 70% following an OUI conviction.

Average insurance rates before and after an OUI conviction

What may that look like, in dollars and cents? If your Massachusetts driving record was similar to that of the average state motorist before your OUI conviction, you probably paid an annual insurance premium of about $1,616 before your drunk driving incident. After it, though, you are probably looking at paying about $2,711 for your insurer to cover you each year, which comes out to a difference of more than $1,000 annually.

Paying more for auto insurance can be difficult, regardless of circumstances, but paying so much more for coverage when you have already paid thousands of dollars in fines and other expenses associated with your OUI can be even more of a struggle.