Drink drivers to face higher car insurance premiums

The festive party season is upon us, and although the vast majority of people will be sensible in getting into the spirit of things and have a great time over Christmas, there will always be a few people who decide to take the risk of drink driving.

However, now there is yet another deterrent to prevent people from carrying out such reckless behaviour, and it comes in the form of car insurance premiums.

MoneySupermarket recently revealed that drivers who are convicted for drink driving can expect their car insurance premiums to rise from an average of £424 up to £784.

This is a rise of 85%, and it can happen even if the motorist has an exemplary driving history and a no claims bonus.

And this is if the driver can get insurance at all, because they may find it harder to find an insurer willing to provide them with cover after being convicted.

It seems that there should already be enough deterrents in place to stop people drink driving. Anyone convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol could face fines of £1,000 and more, a complete ban on driving for a year or more and even a prison sentence.

A large proportion of accidents on the roads involve drink driving, and yet still people get behind the wheel after too many drinks.

The best advice is simply to refrain from drinking at all if you are going to drive. Instead of taking the risk of driving, make sure you plan your night out in advance so that there is always a designated driver in place to avoid the temptation to drive back at the end of the night following a few drinks.