LT

Have a friend who was arrested for DUI & will probably be convicted. It's his 1st offense. It got me to thinking - do rental car companies rent to people with a DUI conviction? Do they have to buy extra insurance? Just curious . . . Thanks!

fmpden

I am sure he can but it could vary by state and what info is tied to his driver license. Do hope they throw the book at him and that it wakes him up. This will not be the first time he has driven drunk just the first time he got caught.

jubilada

Here in MA you lose your license for a year and face up to a year of jail time for the first DUI conviction, so no license, no car rental.
In a state with more lax laws where one does not lose a license, one can rent a car, I think.
I say this because I have never seen a question about this on a rental contract

1JAR

Important too that if someone with DUI tries to drive into Canada, with a US DUI they will not be allowed as Canada considers DUI a crime for a US citizen that prevents them into Canada driving or someone other entrance...

tenthumbs

I plagarized this from a California DUI attorney's blog (couldn't copy and paste the link for some reason)......

"The California Appellate Court held in Flores vs. Enterprise Rent a Car, that a rental car company cannot be held liable for renting a car to someone with a pending DUI or prior DUI convictions. As long as they have a valid license at the time and are not impaired they are legally able to rent a vehicle to the person.

The California Vehicle Code does not require the Rental Car Company to do anything more than verify that the prospective driver has a valid license and is not showing signs of being under the influence at the time. Prior DUI convictions or a pending DUI case are not per se a reason to decline a rental. In many instances, the rent a car company will confirm the validity of the applicant's license with the DMV prior to releasing the car."

A friend's sister-in-law found out what 1JAR is talking about....she had a DUI and was deemed "inadmissible to Canada."

nytraveler

It depends on what the sentence is. It is likely he will lose his license for a period of time - at a minimum - and therefore won;t be able to drive at all.

If I were this person that is something I would be asking my attorney about - as well as what my fines and sentence will be (it may be community service or probation but it may be time in local jail.)

Ackislander

Massachusetts talks big about DUI and has tough laws, but almost any good lawyer can plead it down to a lesser offense, usually involving driving school, court costs and a drug and alcohol free year with random testing in tough cases.

All too sad that people with multiple DUI arrests are still operating on the highways.

nytraveler

Agree - I have no tolerance for DUI. Think should be a 1 year suspension on first conviction and if caught again permanent loss of license.

But the penalties vary tremendously by state and also circumstances - basic DUI caught in a blockade, or combined with one or more other violations, or - god forbid - as part of an accident - which may mean throwing the book at the driver.

tenthumbs

In California, a DUI crash causing injury is a felony.

Orcas

Canadian rules have relaxed somewhat, You can go to the comments section of the link below to read more details on this:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...nvictions.html

Here's an important question to research in your home state: What are the penalties for refusing a breathalyzer?

In the State of Washington that is admission of guilt with a mandatory one year suspension of license and a fine up to $5,000. Lots of people don't realize this and think the police are making it up. There is no plea bargaining in this circumstance. Your goose is cooked.

Christina

Most car rental companies check driving records and won't (that would be for multiple moving violations, also). Apparently Enterprise doesn't check, as long as one has a valid driver's license.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/tr...prac.html?_r=0

AAFrequentFlyer

Couple of years ago a good friend and his girlfriend were pulled over on his motorcycle just few blocks from his house. He wasn't pulled over on suspicion of being drunk, he was pulled over because he made a mistake of doing a "California roll stop" through a stop sign. It was late at night, a residential street, nobody walking or driving at that time. He did not damage any property nor did he injure anybody.

This is what the county of Sarasota or the state of Florida ended up giving him:

After he was arrested the cops had his motorcycle towed but were nice enough to drive his girlfriend home. Cost of the towing and storage about $200.

His lawyer - $5000

No jail as this was his first offense but,

9 months probation
during which time he had to do
100 hours of community service
3 or 4 times a week AA meetings for the duration of the probation.
Court cost ~$500
Fine $1000
Probation meetings - $55 every month
Possibility of peeing into a cup each time he had a meeting, although he said she never asked him to do it.
Victim Impact class - one evening, ~$50
DUI class - 2 days - ~$300
DUI decides how many counseling sessions he had to attend, in his case I believe it was 10 @$65 a pop.
2 day "boot" on his motorcycle - ~$150
Breath starter on his motorcycle but waived if the motorcycle was sold before his probation ended. It would have been ~$150 a month. He did sell the bike.

and finally,

no license until he completed his probation
criminal record
Insurance skyrocking by about 300%

so, the lesson he learned? It's just not worth it.

It would have been much cheaper to just take a cab for ~$15 from where they were and where they were going.

DebitNM

NY Times link above is for article written in 2006. It's accuracy in 2013 is questionable.

jubilada

Acks, this is true. But poor people without good lawyers regularly lose their licenses.
Otoh, through work I know several people who hAve been driving for years without licenses.
But renting a car would be tough I think.

joethekay

The major car rental companies (Hertz, Avis, National, Enterprise) do check for driving infractions that are noted in their states drivers license data base. It would be their prerogative to deny a rental based on this information.
I do no know a friend who was denied a car rental for too many speeding violations. I personally do not know anyone being denied for a DUI.

sojourner318

Yea, @fmpden. Really no point to your comment except to be sanctimonious. Did you see "DUI" and decide it was time to preach?

SallyCaregiver

I have a DUI, 3 years ago. I called 10 national agencies, because none list this very basic info on their sites, despite 10's of millions of Americans with DUIs. Most said 'no', flat out. A few said 'if the DUI is over 4 years old'. Dollar (which is also Thrifty) said yes. Enterprise said yes, if you have a valid drivers license. I used Enterprise without a glitch. NOTE: They have instant access to your motor vehicle report, insurance, and other (unknown) personal information, so if you think you will slide in with a DUI,etc.- my advice is don't waste your time. Call prior.

vjpblovesitaly

Nobody cares.

Myer

fmpden,

The only issue I have is that you assumed the driver was male.

He, he, he, he. How abour She, she, she, she.

Or maybe (s)he, (s)he, (s)he.

Awww c'mon.

SallyCaregiver

vjpblovesitaly: Nobody does care. Other than the 1.5 million people arrested for DUI every year, or the other 10 million that haven't been caught yet. Or the 1 in 4 Americans with a criminal record. Or the hapless millions that are increasingly arrested for DUI for drugs, even with a medical marijuana card, that have no idea that states are now legislating DUI to include week-old pot metabolites, even as they 'legalize' pot. Or the entire country that is bankrupt over arresting more people for minor, even victimless crimes, while they ignore the 250,000 outstanding felony warrants for rapists and murderers because it's too much trouble. I agree: Nobody does care. In America, it's every man for himself, despite his or her own hypocrisy and holier-than-thou view of himself, or herself.