Good point about regional insurers—I've seen clients get noticeably better deals locally after a DUI. It's definitely a rough patch, but you're doing the right thing by shopping around and cons...
Regional insurers can definitely be a hidden gem after something like this. A few years back, my brother-in-law had a DUI here in Idaho, and initially, the quotes from big national companies were pretty shocking. He ended up switching to a smaller local insurer, and the difference was substantial—still higher than before, obviously, but manageable. Like you mentioned, defensive driving courses helped him too. It's a tough situation, but exploring local options can really pay off.
Regional insurers can be decent, but honestly, even then the rates after a DUI are pretty brutal. My coworker went through something similar last year and yeah, local companies were cheaper—but still not exactly cheap. Curious if anyone knows how long it usually takes before rates start dropping back down to normal-ish levels...is it really the full 3-5 years or can you catch a break sooner?
My brother had a DUI about three years ago, and yeah, the rates were pretty rough at first. He switched to a smaller local insurer after a year or so, and it did help a bit...but honestly, he's still paying more than before. Seems like it does take the full few years unfortunately.
- Interesting, but I'm not sure switching insurers always helps much. My coworker had a DUI about two years ago, stuck with the same big insurer, and his rates actually dropped noticeably after completing some defensive driving course. Maybe that's worth looking into?
- Also curious if location within Idaho matters much...like would Boise vs. smaller towns have different impacts on rates? Seems like insurers factor in a lot more than just the DUI itself.
"Also curious if location within Idaho matters much...like would Boise vs. smaller towns have different impacts on rates?"
Yeah, location def matters. I moved from Boise out to a smaller town near Twin Falls a couple years back, and my insurance dropped noticeably—even with the same car and no changes to my record. Insurers seem pretty tuned into zip codes, traffic density, and all that stuff.
