Driving Under The Influence And Your Car Insurance

South Africa happens to have the highest statistics of drunken driving road accidents in the world. Most people may attribute this to the country being reckless, but it is far more significant than that! If South Africa had a good, reliable public transport system, especially at night, then there would be far less drunken people getting behind the wheels of their motor vehicles.

Regardless of the excuses, driving under the influence is still a very dangerous and irresponsible thing to do! Most people do not consider the repercussions of getting behind the wheel whilst they are intoxicated. Firstly, there is the great danger that you could kill yourself. Most of the road deaths in South Africa are attributed drunken driving. Consider that if you drive whilst under the influence, you could kill yourself, or worse, someone else who is innocent. Even if you survive the accident, you will still have to live with the guilt of knowing you killed someone's family member. That is not even taking into consideration the jail sentence that you will get. Even if you do not kill someone, the laws have become stricter, and you could very possibly be looking at a jail sentence of at least 6 years, coupled with a hefty fine.

In addition to all this, you need to consider the repercussions on your motor insurance policy. If you are in a motor accident where no one is hurt, but are caught as being under the influence, then your motor insurance company will not pay out for the damages to your vehicle, or the vehicle that you hit. If you are caught in an accident for drunken driving then you will be seen as a higher insurance risk to your insurance company. In a lot of cases the insurance company will discontinue your policy. Another grievous consequence is that you may not be able to obtain motor insurance elsewhere. The insurance companies usually have an internal system which tracks the reasons for the loss of a policy, and the new companies will see the black mark of a drunken driving offence against your name. Even if you ARE able to obtain a motor insurance policy, you will undoubtedly have to pay a very, very high premium. This can wreak financial disaster, if your licence was not confiscated in the first place.

In conclusion, it is easy to see why driving under the influence will have a very negative impact on your life. If you are going to be drinking, it is best to appoint a designated driver to get you home or to wherever you are going. Otherwise you should just consider staying at home and having your drinks. Although it can be a bit pricey, there are private taxi companies which you can use to drive you to your destination after you have had a few too many drinks. The price you pay for these taxis will be nowhere near as high as the price you will pay if you crash your car whilst driving under the influence.