Can my car insurance company here in New Jersey opt to non-renew my policy if they don’t want to cover me anymore? What are the possible reasons an insurance company can do just that?

Melvin

Passaic, NJ

Car insurance companies can opt not to renew your policy once it is time for renewal. However, state regulations do not constantly explain the reasons wherein a car insurance policy cannot renew policies. Your car insurance policy may not be renewed if your insurer in New Jersey does not want to provide you coverage anymore. Typically, a car insurance policy may not be renewed if the policyholder has had too many claims for accidents that you have caused, has a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI), or has had a lot of traffic tickets in the last three to five years. These things could undoubtedly increase your car insurance rates from your subsequent insurance provider; however, they will not make you a car insurance outcast.

In case a car insurance company does not want to renew your policy anymore, they will send you a notification. State laws differ, but a car insurance company usually should give the policyholder a notification for nonrenewal of 10 to 30 days. This notification may or may not explain why the car insurance company does not want to renew your policy anymore. In case you want to know the reason why your policy is not being renewed and it is not explained in the notification, you would have to send a request in writing to the car insurance company.

What are the penalties for  DUI or DWI in New Jersey?

Beth

Irvington, NJ

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) states that a person with a BAC of 0.08% or greater who drives a motor vehicle or a boat is considered to be driving under the influence (DUI).

Being convicted of a DUI is a serious violation, with heavy penalties including:

• Fines, fees and surcharges
• Jail time
• Community service

The mandatory fines and penalties associated with a drunk driving for a BAC .10% or greater are:

• loss of license for 7 months to 1 year
• up to 30 days imprisonment
• 12 – 48 hrs IDRC – Intoxicated Driver Resource Center
• $300 – $500 fine
• $100 to drunk driving fund
• $230 IDRC fee
• $100 to AERF – Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Fund
• $1,000/year (for 3 years) surcharge
• $75 to Neighborhood Services Fund

A DUI with a BAC of greater than .08% but less than .10% comes with penalties of:

• license lost for 3 months
• up to 30 days imprisonment
• 12 – 48 hrs IDRC – Intoxicated Driver Resource Center
• $250 – $400 fine
• $230 IDRC fee
• $100 to drunk driving fund
• $100 to AERF – Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Fund
• $1,000/year (for 3 years) surcharge
• $75 to Neighborhood Services Fund

As for how long the DUI offense stays on your Irvington, New Jersey driving record, according to the New Jersey MVC in New Jersey a DUI conviction will stay a permanent part of your New Jersey driver record.

I have never been arrested for DUI but I know some people who have already been charged for DUI here in New Jersey. I’m just curious about these field sobriety tests that the police officers are asking the people suspected of DUI to do. Could you give some examples of these tests?

Valerie

Camden, NJ

If a police officer in Camden, New Jersey has a reason to suspect there is a problem, he/she may pull you over to investigate and make sure you are not driving under the influence. If this happens, the officer will execute several tests like field sobriety tests (FST) to ensure your safety and the safety of other drivers.

The Horizontal Eye Test is an example of FST. During this test, the officer will ask you to follow his/her finger using only your eyes and not moving your entire head. Another example is the Walk and Turn test. You must demonstrate the ability to walk at least nine heel-to-toe steps before turning around and returning to the officer and there needs to be a flat surface for the officer to request this test. One other FST commonly used is the One-Leg Stand. In this test, it also requires a level surface. You would be asked to stand on one leg for a short period of time with both hands at your side, and then you would have to switch legs.

My sister was charged with DUI after being pulled over for speeding and crossing the center line here in New Jersey. She failed the FST’s administered on her. She admitted to me that she took illegal drugs that night. The blood test at the local hospital did not show any cocaine was in her system. How come the police still charged her?

Nash

Newark, NJ

New Jersey DUI law for drugs may sometimes be tricky. But just to clarify some things, a person can be charged with DUI in New Jersey if caught driving with a ‘hangover,’ but a different kind of hangover, drug hangover that is. Drivers can be charged with DUI even if the drug is no longer actively in the system but the driver is still feeling its after-effects.

Driving under the influence of drugs has traditionally been interpreted as applying to when the substance is pharmacologically active in a person’s system. But it was expanded in the recent appellate ruling, which was prompted by the following DUI case in New Jersey.

The blood test on your sister may not have shown any cocaine was in her system but it can reveal that she was still ‘high’ from the drug. Cocaine only remains in the system a few hours after ingestion but the blood test may reveal traces of a metabolite of cocaine.

My boyfriend was charged with DWI here in New Jersey. This is his first offense. I used to live in New York and my brother has been convicted there before with DWI and spent months in prison and paid $500 and penalty assessments. Are the penalties the same in each state? I need to know these things so that we know the consequences if my boyfriend will be convicted.

Eliza

Elizabeth, NJ

Driving While Intoxicated in the State of New Jersey means a bunch of penalties that include fees, charges and surcharges, imprisonment or mandatory counseling. There is no difference between DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and DWI in New Jersey.

If this is his first DWI offense in New Jersey, expect a fine of $250 to $400, a jail time not exceeding 30 days and suspension of his license for three months. Moreover, there would be a New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission (NJMVC) surcharge of $1,000 per year for three years and payments of $200 to the DWI Enforcement Fund, $50 to the Violent Crimes Compensation Fund, $75 to the Safe Neighborhood Fund, and $200 for license restoration. He would also have to undergo counseling for 12 to 48 hours at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC) in which may cost $150, and extra payment if outpatient counseling is stipulated by the IDRC.

If he will be convicted with DWI, this would become a permanent part of his driving record in New Jersey. The premium could be higher for a person with a DWI tag since many insurance companies look into the driving history for three years.

You might (or might not) need a  NJ DUI lawyer if…

• you don’t know what’s going on. DUI law is big stuff, and if you don’t get it, or don’t want to spend time learning it so you can represent yourself, you may need to hire a lawyer.
• you need to understand what will happen to you if you are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• you need to understand the process of fighting a DUI conviction or lessening your sentence.
• you are working for a license which a criminal conviction could keep you from getting.
• your job requires bonding.

Just being suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs could cost you $20,000.

This doesn’t all settle into one easy bill. In fact, it spreads out across areas and across years as well. Part of it comes from your New Jersey DUI attorney cost, while some it refers to your bail and your court fines and fees, and even more will add up over the three year period that you have to pay extra for high risk SR22 driver insurance.

In fact, there could be even worse implications behind a DUI–many people are fired from their jobs because of these, which makes the big bill much harder to be. Something to think about.