my 17 yr old son has a dui and his susspension is up what can he expect to pay for car insurance now?

A DUI is one of the most serious driving offenses your son could face. Not only does it require a great deal of cash for court and legal obligations, the conviction will remain on his driving record for the rest of his life and insurance companies will use it in the calculation of his premiums for anywhere from 3 to 5 years. Additionally, many people who are convicted of DUI are also given the legal requirement of carrying an SR-22 for a period of time, increasing the cost of insurance.

An SR-22 is a certificate of financial responsibility. If your son was involved in an accident as a result of the DUI, the court may require him to carry the certificate for anywhere from 1 to 5 years. While this is purchased from the car insurance company, it is not exactly a form of insurance. In fact, an SR-22 might be better described a bond, insuring that you are able to pay for any future damages up to a specific value.

Your son is already in a very high risk insurance group. Getting a DUI at his age means that his car insurance costs are going to be extremely high, perhaps as much as double the pre-DUI cost. By comparison, that could mean your son has to pay nearly 4 times more for insurance than someone over the age of 25 who has a clean driving record.

You could help your son out by adding him to your own insurance rather than purchasing his own coverage. Being added as a driver on someone else's policy will not cancel the obligation for an SR-22, but it will reduce regular car insurance costs by a great deal. By law, your son can be listed as a driver on your insurance until he reaches the age of 25 or becomes emancipated, meaning he moves out on his own and becomes responsible for all of his own bills.