Seeing blue light flashing in your rear-view mirror proves highly unnerving. If your traffic stop ends up leading to a charge of driving while under the influence, you may find yourself facing considerable trouble. The state of Colorado takes drunk driving extremely seriously, and the penalties you should expect to face in the aftermath are numerous.

Even if it is your first time facing a drinking and driving-related charge, you could potentially face jail time, a license suspension, big fines and points on your driving record, among other potential penalties. Many of these repercussions impact your wallet. Insure.com reports that the financial implications relating to your DUI arrest are not likely to go away anytime soon.

The insurance factor

While you should plan on losing your license for nine months as a first-time DUI offender, you should also know that your automotive insurance rates are likely to skyrocket once you are legally able to get back behind the wheel. Once you have a drunk driving conviction on your record, insurers may not want to offer you coverage at all out of fear that you could potentially re-offend. Once you do find an insurance company willing to offer you coverage, though, you need to figure out just how much that coverage is going to cost you.

Steep rate hikes

Just how much should you expect your automotive insurance premiums to rise once you have a drunk driving conviction? Most Colorado motorists who have DUIs find that their convictions lead to a nearly 70% increase in annual insurance premiums. Therefore, if you were paying about $1,675 per year for insurance before your drunk driving conviction, which is fairly standard for Colorado drivers, you should anticipate paying more like $2,834 a year after your conviction. This amounts to a difference of $1,159 per year.

A drunk driving conviction may impact your personal life as well as your professional one. It may also have a substantial impact on your finances. The more you understand about the financial implications of a DUI, the better your chances of managing the expenses related to your conviction.