What are the DUI insurance laws in Maryland?

For some people, it takes several DUI arrests before they learn that it’s not a good idea to drink and drive. People have been arrested as many as seven times for breaking Maryland DUI laws.

Driving While Impaired and Driving Under the Influence

What happens when you get a DUI in MD? Maryland has two different charges that relate to driving with alcohol in the drivers’ systems. Maryland drivers who have ingested alcoholic products can be arrested for either Driving While Impaired or Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs, , sometimes both in one day as has been witnessed above. A DWI means that the driver’s blood alcohol level (BAC) was measured to be .07 percent while a DUI will be charged if the BAC was .08 percent or above.

Read more: DWI vs. DUI: What Is the Difference?

No such distinction is made for someone under 21 or for people who are arrested while driving a company vehicle. Maryland drivers under age 21 only need to have a BAC equal to .02 or higher to be arrested for DUI. If an employee is driving a company vehicle such as a bus, this person can be arrested for DUI with a .04 percent or higher BAC.

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The Obligation to Give Blood, Breath or Urine

Maryland expects its drivers to choose to either give their blood, breath or urine for the various tests of their BACs.

The test can be administered at the scene because law enforcement officers have breathalyzers that measure the BAC by way of their breath.

They can also opt to have a medical professional obtain blood for a chemical test or they can give a urine sample at the police station or a hospital.

The act of choosing to refuse to give blood, breath or urine for testing for the presence of alcohol or drugs will mean that these drivers may lose their licenses to suspension for 120 days. The second time that drivers decline to give blood, breath or urine will mean their licenses will be suspended for one year. This should be the fate of the mother described above.

The First Conviction for DUI in Maryland

The following are some penalties one will receive for their first DUI conviction:

• Jail: One year maximum; if a minor was a passenger, two years maximum.
• Fine: $1,000 maximum; if a minor was a passenger, $2,000 maximum.
• Mandatory Suspension of the Driver’s License: At least six months.

Penalties for the Second DUI Conviction

The following are some penalties one will receive for their second DUI conviction:

• Jail: Two years maximum; if a child under 18 was a passenger, at least three years.
• Fine: $2,000 maximum; if a child under 18 was a passenger, $3,000 maximum.
• Mandatory Suspension of the Driver’s License: 365 days if the first offense came less than five years prior to the second offense.
• Ignition Interlock Device: Possible after 45 days of the license suspension.

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The Third and Subsequent DUIs

The following are some penalties one will receive for their third and subsequent DUI conviction:

• Jail: Three years maximum, unless a minor was a passenger, then the sentence will be increased to four years maximum.
• Fine: $3,000 maximum, unless a minor was a passenger. In that case, the fine will be $4,000 maximum.
• Mandatory License Suspension: 1 ½ years.

What Happens after the first DWI

Here are some penalties that will happen after one’s first DWI:

• Jail: Two months maximum.
• Fine: $500 maximum.
• Jail: Six months maximum if a minor was in the car.
• Fine: $1,000 maximum if a minor was in the car.
• Mandatory License Suspension: At least six months for everyone.

More Penalties for the Second DWI Conviction

Take a look at these penalties for a second DWI conviction:

• Jail: One year maximum.
• Fine: $500 maximum.
• Fine: $2,000 maximum with a minor in the car.
• Mandatory License Suspension: At least one year for everyone.

Maryland drivers under the age of 21 arrested for DUI are in danger of having their licenses either revoked or suspended.

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How Checkpoints Reduce Drunken Driving

During times when law enforcement expects more drunken drivers, they begin to announce the fact that they will have more checkpoints on Maryland’s roads. The places they choose to have checkpoints are those areas that have shown a high instance of drunk driving in the past.

In Maryland, these areas are major intersections and streets. A DUI will greatly affect one’s car insurance.

These checkpoints are set up to stop every driver in order to ensure that the people behind the wheels are not intoxicated by drugs or alcohol.

Statistically, drunk drivers are on the roads either at night or very early in the morning, which is why law enforcement chooses these times to set up their checkpoints.

Collecting Points on the Driving Record

With every driving infraction, Maryland drivers have the potential to have points added to their driving records. In this case, points aren’t a good thing and the more points drivers accumulate, the worse it gets for them.

If drivers can keep from adding 12 points within a two-year period, they may be able to keep their auto insurance rates from rising beyond their ability to pay them.

The Impact of DUI/DWI Convictions in MD

Maryland drivers who are convicted of DUI have no way of keeping their points below 12 in a two-year period because a single DUI gives them 12 points on their driving records all at once.

A DWI conviction is not as dire, but it’s not too far behind. With a DWI conviction, eight points will be added to the driving record.

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Setting Car Insurance Rates

One of the things auto insurance companies use to set a client’s auto insurance rates is the driving record. Someone who has a good driving record, that is one without any points or very few, can receive low rates because they are believed to be less likely to cause an accident.

Someone who has a DUI/DWI is highly likely to cause an accident, and these people are often quoted with high-risk car insurance rates because of it.

A DUI/DWI Offender’s Options for Insurance

Once so many DUI points have been added to a driver’s record, insurance options are limited unless these drivers have a lot of money to spend on insurance. In these tough economic times, most people can’t afford to spend a large sum of money every month on their auto insurance premiums.

It’s for this reason that these drivers need our comparison search to find the cheapestcar insurance rates for their auto insurance as possible.

With the comparison website searching for insurance companies that offer high-risk policies, Maryland drivers convicted of DUI/DWI will have several choices for the lowest auto insurance rates. They can even inquire into the many ways that they can lower their auto insurance rates with discounts.

Clients with DUIs and DWIs are entitled to claim the same auto insurance discounts as any other auto insurance client.

One Possible Discount

For example, if Maryland drivers convicted of DUI/DWI were to trade their sports vehicles in for a safe car that has safety features such as anti-lock brakes and automatic seat belts, the auto insurance company will see this as a very good sign.

A car that was made to drive safely along the roads will result in less damage if there is a collision. The automatic seat belts will result in fewer bodily injuries.

Once drivers receive their many quotes, they may contact these insurance companies to determine what discounts they can qualify for in order to obtain the lowest rates possible.

The fastest way to get to this point is to let the comparison website do the searching for them. Our comparison tool already has several high-risk auto insurance companies at our disposal ready to offer reasonable car insurance quotes in less than five minutes.

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