- Had a friend deal with something similar after his DUI in Boise.
- His premiums practically doubled overnight... brutal.
- He tried shopping around, but most insurers were quoting pretty steep rates.
- Curious if defensive driving courses or something similar could help soften the blow a bit?
- Either way, definitely brace yourself—insurance companies don't mess around with DUIs.
"Curious if defensive driving courses or something similar could help soften the blow a bit?"
Wondering the same thing myself... I've heard mixed things about defensive driving courses actually helping after a DUI. Anyone here tried one in Idaho and noticed a real difference on their premiums? Or is it mostly wishful thinking?
I was wondering about this too, since a buddy of mine went through something similar a couple years back. He did the defensive driving course hoping it'd help, but honestly, the difference was pretty minimal. His premiums still jumped quite a bit—maybe slightly less than they would have otherwise, but nothing dramatic. Seems like insurance companies mostly see the DUI itself and don't really budge much, at least here in Idaho. Might depend on your insurer though...
Yeah, from what I've seen, the DUI itself is the big red flag for insurers, and defensive driving courses don't really offset that much. A coworker of mine had a DUI about three years ago here in Idaho, and his rates nearly doubled overnight. He shopped around a bit, but most companies were pretty similar—high premiums across the board. He did mention that after about two years of clean driving, his rates started to slowly come down again, but they're still nowhere near what they were before.
Also, keep in mind that some insurers might even drop you entirely after a DUI, forcing you into high-risk insurance pools, which are notoriously expensive. So yeah, unfortunately, it's not just a minor bump—it's a pretty significant hit that sticks around for a while.
Yeah, DUI hits are rough—no sugarcoating it. But did your coworker check smaller local insurers? Sometimes they're a bit more forgiving...might not be a huge difference, but every bit helps. Hang in there, it'll ease up eventually.
