Celebrity DUIs: No Cheap Auto Insurance For Them

By: Jaime Lethrop, Car Insurance Guru
CheaperCarInsurance.com

The recent announcement by the Miami Heat that player Dorell Wright would be suspended from playing two basketball games thanks to his DUI won’t be Wright’s biggest problem in this situation. After receiving an additional traffic citation for driving with a suspended license as well as his numerous other driving violations over the past several years, you can bet Wright isn’t eligible for cheap auto insurance with his car insurer.

Wright is one of many celebrities who think it’s acceptable to drink (or do drugs) and drive. Unfortunately, celebrities and athletes are not above the law, and they get their licenses revoked, get tickets and see an increase on their formerly cheap auto insurance rates just like the rest of us.

Celebrity DUIs Explained

Maybe it’s because they love to be seen and party frequently, but the ratio of celebrity DUIs to the rest of the world’s DUIs seems high. Here are some other celebs who have been caught driving while inebriated in the last few years:

• Stephanie Pratt from ‘The Hills:’ This young up and coming actress was stopped on suspicion of DUI last October and was arrested. She posted bail for $5,000. Maybe it will help her career.
• Adrian Pasdar from ‘Heroes:’ This actor was arrested in January after speeding and pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge. If found guilty, he faces up to 6 months’ jail time and a $1,000 fine.
• Shia LeBoeuf: The Transformers actor caused an accident when driving drunk a few years ago in LA and refused to have a breath alcohol test. He later had his driver’s license suspended.

Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are other well-known celebrities who have gotten DUIs in the past few years. While they make headlines and create buzz when they get mug shots taken, their insurance companies certainly think the DUIs are no laughing matter.

After just one DUI your (or Paris Hilton’s) cheap auto insurance can as much as double. So all that hard work you put in finding an affordable rate just went down the toilet when you drank and then drove. For celebrities, it may be no big deal to pay several thousand dollars a year for car insurance, but for the average driver, it is not easy to pay more for what was once cheap auto insurance.

But Why Are Celebrities Getting DUIs?

Being a celebrity usually means they have money. So why not hire a driver rather than drive while intoxicated? They’d keep their cheap auto insurance and their license and stay out of the spotlight.

But maybe therein lies the answer. Maybe celebrities like the publicity they get when they are arrested for drunk driving. And very few celebs spend any real time in jail, at least no more than Nicole Ritchie’s four day stint in jail. Judging by the mug shots posted all over the internet from celebrities who were arrested for drunk driving, they seem to like having this particular photo taken. So maybe it’s part of the celebrity code of honor to get a DUI. It’s kind of like getting an Oscar. Only without cheap auto insurance.

At any rate, don’t follow what celebrities do beyond their fashion sense or you’ll find yourself without a driver’s license or cheap auto insurance. And if you don’t have a makeup artist or fashion advisor, your mug shot might not be as cute as Paris Hilton’s was. Without the personal assistant to drive you around once you lose your license, you’ll be walking everywhere, and that’s just not glamorous.

Posted: March 15, 2010