Drink drivers should be caned on insurance

[JazzyBBG]

So my brother in law who I'm not a fan of has a pretty serious drink driving conviction. Added to this he's I suspect at least emotionally abusive to my sister and generally pretty vile. Also permanently pleads poverty as does my DS.

Saw him yesterday in a 3 year old BMW 5 series M sport. I'm told this is his new car. WTAF? How on earth would any insurance company insure him? And if they did Surely the premium should be extortionate??? I'm paying £700 on a similar spec car largely high due to my DH having an accident a few years ago. This man claims he can't afford childcare after school but he can afford this?

He has to drive for his job so he will have to supply evidence of insurance to his company so he is insured, whether he told them the truth is a different matter. And no it's not a company car he gets a small car allowance like £100 a month.

I just think insurers should not make it so easy for people with a DD conviction to have access to such high powered cars. My insurance goes up every year with me having 20 years no claims! Not sure if I'm AIBU or just wanting to vent. I'm not wrong??

Is his car nicer than yours?

You're not wrong no but don't let it bother you..

He will be paying very expensive insurance.

Insurance is a business, not a social engineering arm of the government. If people who drink drive shouldn't have access to powerful cars that should be a restriction the courts can place on them. Insurance companies need to be able to get on the job of assessing risk and insuring people.

Ha no his car is not nicer than mine ;) it just bothers me that nobheads like him shouldn't be driving. Especially something that powerful. And insurance companies are enabling it by letting him.

@BoomBoomsCousin I get that but surely he is high risk? And with what he says should not be affordable. I also know another family member with multiple DD convictions whose insurance is £200. Basic car but the principle to me is these people are a risk.

Has he got insurance?

@ivykaty44 I imagine so as he will need it at work to claim expenses. Equally it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't.Whether he tells the insurers the truth is another matter I don't know how they check these things.

I think they should be banned for life!

@Fluffyears agree

You can check if a car is insured online

@ivykaty44 oooh now you've set me off!

Why do you think it’s a powerful car? You don’t specify the model, could easily and most likely be a 520d. M Sport is just a trim level, it has NOTHING to do with performance.

Easy, lie to the insurance company, say you have no convictions.
The best bit is that when they find out they will prosecute and he will go to jail.

YANBU, I would have thought his insurance would (and should) be ridiculously high.

@kalopali I mean a proper M sport not just trim. Easily 3 litre +

An m5 would be the beasty one!!

Jazzy if the insurance company isn't calculating the extra risk of the DD conviction I would agree with you, I think that's V. unlikely though, they'd become the go-to insurance company for DDs and end up with much higher payouts than other insurers and so go bankrupt.

Insurance companies are allowed to take driving convictions into account for 5 years from the date of conviction and most do so for the full 5. A few, I think, don't bother after 3. Maybe the people you know are paying more than they are telling you?

Or maybe the risk isn't as high as you assume it is? If the car they are insuring is already a high-risk vehicle, for instance, the increase may not be as much as if it was a low-risk one as drink driving won't increase the risk at the same rate for each type. For a low-risk car with a previously good record, some could expect to see their insurance double, I believe (haven't worked with insurance for a few years). For a higher risk car it probably wouldn't go up by as big a percentage, though it would obviously be a higher total amount.

Also, having an accident, if at fault, may be a greater indicator of risk than a DD conviction (in which no damage is caused and no claim made). You seem to assume that he ought to be being charged more than you and your DH are, but I don't think the risk is necessarily greater with the drink driver.

@BoomBoomsCousin interesting info. I can't go into detail on what he did but it was pretty horrendous, not just a simple case of being pulled over and breathalysed, so if I look at it that way then yes I do feel I/all law abiding people should pay less. No one died but that was more luck than judgement and multiple vehicles involved.

What Fluffyears said. There is no excuse for drink driving - the blood alcholol limit for driving should be zero.

^ drink-typing is obviously OK though!

M Sport IS just a trim level. An M5 is the performance version. Stick the reg number in an insurance comparison site and you’ll find out what model it is.

I agree with you OP.

You say it's an old one? So if he wrecked it then it wouldn't be worth much. Insurance is largely about the cost of the vehicle and how much it would be to fix or replace so if he didn't pay much for the car then the insurance wouldn't be astronomical.

Yes I do agree that insurance should be a lot higher for dui convictions tho.

@kalopali sorry that's what I mean M5.