Vocabulary
Glossary
Definitions written for drivers who need to insure a vehicle after a DUI, DWI or OWI conviction. Each term links back to the guides where it matters.
- Deductible
- The amount you pay out of pocket on a collision or comprehensive claim before the insurer pays. Raising it lowers the premium—proportionally more when the base premium is high, as after a DUI.
- DUI (Driving Under the Influence)
- A conviction for operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs. For insurance rating it is treated as a major violation regardless of the state's label.
- DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
- The term several states, including Texas and New York, use for an impaired-driving conviction. Rated identically to a DUI by insurers.
- Financial responsibility
- The legal requirement to be able to pay for damage you cause while driving, satisfied in practice by carrying liability insurance at or above state minimums. SR-22 and FR-44 filings are proof of financial responsibility.
- FR-44
- The certificate Florida and Virginia require after a DUI instead of an SR-22. It works the same way but requires substantially higher liability limits.
- Full coverage
- Informal term for a policy that includes liability plus collision and comprehensive coverage for your own vehicle. Not a defined policy type; the limits and deductibles still vary.
- High-risk driver
- An insurer's classification for a driver whose record—typically a DUI, multiple violations, at-fault accidents or a coverage lapse—predicts above-average claim costs. High-risk drivers are rated in a higher tier or placed with non-standard insurers.
- Ignition interlock device (IID)
- A breath-alcohol testing unit wired to a vehicle's ignition, required after a DUI in most states. It does not directly affect the insurance premium but is often a condition of holding a licence.
- Liability coverage
- Insurance that pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others. Expressed as three limits—bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, property damage—such as 25/50/25 (in thousands of dollars).
- Lookback period
- How many years into your driving record an insurer looks when rating you. Three and five years are common; the conviction stops affecting your premium once it is outside the period.
- Non-owner policy
- A liability policy that covers you when driving vehicles you do not own. It can carry an SR-22 or FR-44 filing and is the usual way to satisfy a filing requirement without a car.
- Non-standard insurance
- The segment of the auto insurance market that specialises in drivers standard insurers decline or price steeply, including drivers with a DUI. Non-standard insurers routinely provide SR-22 filings.
- Nonrenewal
- An insurer's decision not to offer a new policy term when the current one ends. Distinct from cancellation, which ends coverage mid-term. A DUI is a common reason for nonrenewal by insurers that do not write high-risk business.
- SR-22
- A certificate of financial responsibility that an insurer files with a state to prove a driver carries at least the minimum required liability coverage. Required after a DUI in most states, usually for three years.
- Surcharge
- A percentage added to a premium for a specific violation or accident, applied for a set period—commonly three years for a DUI.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
- Coverage that pays for your injuries (and in some states vehicle damage) when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Its price is not heavily affected by your own record.
- Wet reckless
- An informal name for a reckless-driving conviction that notes alcohol involvement, often the result of a plea reduced from a DUI charge. Usually rated less severely than a DUI, but many insurers still treat it as a major violation.