Reader’s Question:

My boyfriend was driving my car over the past weekend. He got pulled over for speeding and also received a drunk driving violation (DUI) and driving without a license in Houston Texas. How will this affect my auto insurance rate?

Kelly

Houston, TX

Generally, any tickets your friends receive while driving your car will not affect your auto insurance rates. The tickets for speeding, drunk driving and driving without a license should all have been issued to your boyfriend in Houston TX, the driver, and not the car, so typically will show up on his driving record and affect him.

If your boyfriend had an accident while driving your vehicle it would have affected your auto insurance since most likely it would be your insurance that would have to pay out on claims resulting from a crash.

Tags: auto insurance, car, car insurance rate, DUI, traffic school

Reader’s Question:

I was convicted for a DWI offense last week and as I was researching I read that tolerance to alcohol may affect intoxication. Is that true? Because I have a high tolerance towards intake of alcohol, will my tolerance to alcoholic drinks affect my blood alcohol level when I undergo a blood alcohol test in Texas?

Sam

Houston, Texas

That answer to that question Sam is a big No. Tolerance to alcohol will not affect the measurement of your blood alcohol content if you take a blood alcohol test. As you know, in Texas a person may be convicted of DWI if their blood, breath or urine has a 0.08 alcohol concentration. Although their alcohol content will not be affected, their level of impairment and intoxication may. Alcohol tolerance may vary from an individual to another, depending on their genetics, prolonged use of alcohol, and effects with other drugs. Unless a person exhibits a very high tolerance to alcohol, a 0.20 blood alcohol content already indicates a very dangerous level for intoxication and for first time drinkers at only 0.15 they would already be unconscious. In extreme situations, like a case reported in Bulgaria, a very high alcohol tolerance can survive a blood alcohol content of 0.0914.

There is no actual definite rule that can accurately predict alcohol level, as every person is different and will process and metabolize alcohol at their unique rate. The only difference is that if a person has a liver failure, if they drink, the alcohol level will not easily be metabolized since the liver has been damaged already.

Q: How do I know if I need Houston TX commercial auto insurance?

A: It will depend, in the end, on what you do with your car as to whether or not you should get a Houston TX commercial auto insurance policy. Many people who are self employed use their vehicle for business reasons, but they also use it to go to the movies or go on vacation, among other things.

If you use your car for both business reasons and for personal reasons, then a Houston TX commercial auto insurance policy is not really necessary. While you may prefer to have a commercial policy for the extra protection, since you have dual purposes for your car it may only bring you a price increase.

It’s most recommendable for you to get a Houston TX commercial auto insurance policy if you do a lot of driving for your business. For example, if you transport clients, are a taxi driver, a delivery person, and so on. It would also be good for you to get a commercial policy if you go on a lot of business trips in your car. Sometimes, if you are using your car for business and get into an accident, your car insurance company won’t cover the damages because that purpose wasn’t disclosed.