Research Writer
Marisol Vega
Marisol Vega is a research writer at Car Insurance After DUI. She came to insurance from a background in data journalism, where she covered household finance and consumer pricing for regional outlets.
On this site she is responsible for the state-by-state rules, the glossary and the FAQ. Her approach is to start from the primary source—state minimum limits, published rate-factor explanations, highway-safety research—and translate it into language a stressed driver can act on.
Marisol is based in Aurora, Colorado and has been writing about insurance since 2019.
- Based in Aurora, Colorado
- Covering auto insurance since 2019
- Focus areas: insurance pricing research, state coverage requirements, consumer finance
- Education: Metropolitan State University of Denver (B.S., Journalism)
Guides
Guide
How Long a DUI Affects Car Insurance
Lookback periods, surcharge windows and state record rules that decide how many years a DUI raises your premium, and when rates start to come down.
Guide
DUI Car Insurance Rules by State
Which states require an SR-22 or FR-44 after a DUI, how long the filing lasts, which states have no filing requirement, and where lookback periods are longest.
Guide
Ignition Interlock Devices and Car Insurance
How an ignition interlock requirement interacts with your insurance: disclosure, installation, cost, restricted licences and whether it affects your premium.
Guide
DUI vs DWI vs OWI: Does the Label Matter for Insurance?
How insurers treat DUI, DWI, OWI, OUI and DUAC convictions, whether a 'wet reckless' plea helps, and what actually drives the rating decision.
Entries
Entry
How Long You Need an SR-22 After a DUI
Typical SR-22 durations after a DUI, when the clock starts, what resets it, and how to confirm the requirement has ended before you drop the filing.
Entry
DUI Insurance Increases by Age: Why Younger Drivers Pay More
How a DUI's percentage increase translates into very different dollar amounts for drivers in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 60s, and what each age group can do about it.
Entry
Non-Owner SR-22: Satisfying a Filing Without a Car
How to get an SR-22 or FR-44 filed on a non-owner policy, who qualifies, what it costs relative to an owner policy and how to move the filing when you buy a car.
Entry
Defensive-Driving Course Discounts After a DUI
Which courses earn an insurance discount, how much, for how long, how they differ from mandatory DUI education programmes, and how to confirm eligibility before you pay.
Entry
When Car Insurance Rates Start Dropping After a DUI
The typical year-three and year-five step-downs, why they happen, how to time your comparison shopping around them and what else has to be true for the drop to arrive.
Entry
California Good Driver Discount Loss After a DUI (Cal. Ins. Code § 1861.025)
Understand how a DUI eliminates California's Good Driver Discount for 10 years under Cal. Ins. Code § 1861.025, how premiums change, and how to shop for coverage.
Blog posts
Post
Reader Question: My Renewal Doubled After a DUI. Is That Normal?
A renewal that doubles after a DUI is within the normal range. What is not normal is accepting it without checking three things first.
Post
A Shopping Checklist for the Week Before Your SR-22 Is Due
A compact, printable sequence for getting an SR-22 or FR-44 filed without a lapse, without overpaying and without buying a policy you have to replace.