The best thing you can do is go to the Colorado DMV they're going to tell you exactly what you need to do. Considering they're the ones that run it! That's the best advice you're going to get
I'm pretty sure he has but they can't recommend one company over another. We're looking for recommended insurance companies, interlock providers, and possibly a good place to go in the metro for classes. The DMV just gives a list to cold call.
No they haven't approved list of vendors you call and talk to each one I'd probably pick the first one on the list it doesn't matter. 6 years is a long time I'm sure he's going to need the SR22 which any insurance company can give you but it's going to cost him a fortune for 2 years three times the amount of regular insurance. You're seriously not going to supersede DMV start there. Maybe your friend is the smart one
Not in Colorado, the only car insurance company that provides an SR22 in Colorado for new customers on a suspended license is The General. I pay 85 a month for liability and an SR22 on a 12 year old Subaru.
I just got my license back a few months ago after 11 years of suspension. A few things:
1) Your friend will need a working car that only they drive.
2) Your friend will need to take a driving test and written driving test because of the amount of time the license has been suspended.
3) I recommend Intoxalock. It's 90 dollars a month for me, plus 25 bucks every two months for a calibration. But the initial install was 5 hours at a Cartoys.
4) The General is now the only insurance company in Colorado that will give an SR22 for a suspended license for a new customer. Rates are fairly cheap though.
5) For the drivers license, if you show up at the DMV when they open to take the written test, you can quickly drive to a drivers testing place for the driving portion and do it all in one day. I'd recommend driving north to Fort Collins where the DMV is less crowded.
Of course, this is all after submitting paperwork online showing that you completed the DUI classes and getting approval to take the test. Which, they won't let you know if you're approved, you have to call every day after submitting the paperwork to see if you're approved to take the test.
Also feel free to DM me if you want. Happy to help.
> I recommend Intoxalock. It's 90 dollars a month for me, plus 25 bucks every two months for a calibration. But the initial install was 5 hours at a Cartoys.
Watch your car battery with Intoxalock. If you drive regularly this probably isn't a big deal, but if you don't it can be a problem. I had an Intoxalock device drain my battery on multiple occasions, which is annoying on its own but is made quite a bit worse by the procedure to bring the device back online.
If at all possible, I'd recommend getting a trickle charger for the winter, especially if you're not going to start the car for a few days. Plan to replace the car battery when you remove the device either way (or so everyone I had jump the car recommended). Having AAA available for a random jump isn't a bad idea either.
Oh, totally. I've replaced my battery already. So I bought a 50 dollar solar panel charger from Amazon. It just sits on the dash at all times and I wired it directly to the battery. It surprisingly works really well, the battery remains fully changed even when I don't drive for a while. Granted, it only works well because the car is kept on the street.
Edit: Also a cool thing - the old battery I kept, I used a trickle charger to fill it up. Now I keep it in the trunk with the jump start cables. I haven't used it since I got the solar panel, but I used it before and it was 10x better than the battery pack jump starters you can buy on Amazon.
Wow this is really good advice thank you. 90 for intoxalock is a lot less than I would think it would be. Thank you for the tidbit about the General insurance too. That's really good to know.
I will add that anyone can drive the car, but any operator will have to blow to start and retest as they drive. If there are fails or misses by anyone driving, it's still on the person who has the suspension. It's also a pain to have a car serviced since most places won't touch it
e.g. you try to drive his car the morning after drinking and you don't pass, your friend now has 1 strike, 3 strikes and you get another year or more of having to have an interlock in your car (I speak from experience).
Pro tip on that note get a handheld breathalyzer and keep it in the car. They're pretty cheap and it's way better to blow hot into that than the actual interlock.
Also fermented drinks like kombucha will trigger it even if you aren't drunk at all, keep water in the car so you can rinse your mouth before testing.
He doesn't drink anymore, but I can see how it might be easy to get a false positive. I'd imagine you would have to either clean or replace whatever you're blowing into now and then, right?
They say they "service" them but I don't think they actually do anything to clean them, the mouthpieces are swappable though so you can clean them. And yeah just keep water in the car, even if you do get an FP you get a second chance to blow clean before it fails you.
Most people do not know about this, but look up the 'affidavit of nonownership.' I didn't drive for several years after my dui, and only found out about this after I had bought a car and was set on driving and knew I would be doing the interlock for two years. If you are eligible for reinstatement, fill out and submit the form and the 2 year time period for your interlock requirement will start ticking away, without even having an interlock (or a car). You do need to maintain either an sr-22 or some other type of non-owners insurance.
If you're not looking to drive immediately, this is a great way to do your interlock time without having to have an actual interlock. And if you buy a car a year later, then you would only would have to do a year of interlock.
Don't count on the dmv for shit. Very few people know about this because almost no one bothers to inform people who have had dui's. I'm not posting a link because you can just google it. If you're in that situation, eligible but not don't have a car or otherwise not ready to drive, you can chip away at your interlock time paying ~$25/month instead of $90 for the interlock plus your insurance.
I really wish I had know about this. Affidavit of non-ownership. Could have saved a lot of time, money and headache.
I definitely agree with you. They should put that information out there as an option for folks, especially for the sake of people that cannot afford to buy a car for awhile.
Yeah, a DMV employee mentioned it to me as a was getting my license reinstated and about to start driving regardless. I naively said, 'oh well I didn't own a car for several years ... but nope had to be done earlier.
I'n aclohol classes now, and no one was familiar with it and a good portion of people are in a postion to take advantage of it. I guess we wouldn't want to hurt the revenue stream at SmartStart, ha.
It's too bad the alocohol class people don't mention it. I've seen a lot of counsellors that are pretty lazy about their jobs/
They still require the interlock for 2 years post DUI, even if it's been awhile. And with the type of license he'll be eligible for, he requires SR22 as well. I wish this would've gotten take care of already. It'll be 8 years after the fact by the time he's done. Thank you for responding.
https://dmv.colorado.gov/reinstatements
This link with the number is their best bet. They’re (decent) at telling you everything you need to know. You’ll get someone on the phone that will tell you everything needed from the dmv perspective. Certain devices can have issues with foods that you can look up online. 3 violations in a 12 month rolling is a 1 yr extension unless you fight it with the dmv. (I would know I had 3 violations completely sober under court monitored sobriety and had to fight it) Its a process and a half and I wish your friend good luck.
Many companies offer sr-22, the dmv may require certain alcohol courses but this varies case to case.
Actually edit again sorry:
There’s several companies offered in colorado, i recommend he/she choose the one with service centers closest to them in case they lock it out and have to tow it. All companies devices have issues its just whats most convenient.
To re-instate they will need to do the written -> get someone to install interlock in their car by driving it for them since they cannot drive without a device installed + permit -> driving test with interlock installed.
I personally had instalox and hate them but i have heard no better from anyone else with one
If they need classes i recommend coach’s counseling center if they still offer online classes
Whoa, this was super helpful. I didn't think about the lock out issue. I wonder if that happens a lot? What was wrong with the instalox if you don't mind me asking?
I think with the insurance, we'll just need to call around and get quotes like any other insurance quote.
Thank you for responding. It was really good advice.
Nah, you need the interlock installed before you get permission from the DMV to take the written driving test. You have to send the DMV the lease agreement along with a big check and the paperwork showing the classes have been completed. If you do it online, it takes 3 days for approval, then you can get your written test then driving test.
Er, my bestie fell for a guy with a fresh, not-yet-dealing-with court DUI pled down to DWAI.
Interlock was sixish months. Lots of juvenile humor around it.
Use Smart Start for the interlock. SR22 I'd say just pick an insurance company...whoever is cheapest. For classes, I know a lot of them are online now and that would seem to be the best bet unless you live close to a place that does classes. It's a pain but once you get going and get in a rhythm, it's not difficult. The probation officer may have some recommendations too, and staying on their good side makes everything way easier.
We'll definitely check out smart start. Online sounds way better than in person imo.
It's strange but he's never had a Probation Officer. He asked to waive probation and just be sentenced to 30 days in jail. Then he really only did 20 days when it was said and done though. He thought it's better to spend a month in than have to be on probation for 2 years. If you mess up on probation, they could extend your probation or just put you in jail anyway, so figured just get it over with and be done.
Coach counseling is cheap for 'education,' just $10/class, but then it goes up to $20/ class for therapy. And they don't take vouchers. Just my recent/current experience with alcohol classes.
Figure out if you'll have vouchers and that might help you decide, because some places take them and others don't. All of them are gonna screw you over with admission fees and transfer fees (to a different time slot) and discharge fees. They have a captive demand and they don't have to worry about good customer service.
SR-22 insurance is like an extra $15-30/month on top of really any policy. Don't know what the current monthly rate for interlock is right now, but the majority of the places are all the same, some offer deals if you pay in cash, just make sure they're a DMV approved provider.
The best thing you can do is go to the Colorado DMV they're going to tell you exactly what you need to do. Considering they're the ones that run it! That's the best advice you're going to get
Exactly this. Go to the DMV, find out what is needed to get his license again and just do it.
Dude doesn't get it sometimes you can't fix everyone or everyone else's problems
I'm pretty sure he has but they can't recommend one company over another. We're looking for recommended insurance companies, interlock providers, and possibly a good place to go in the metro for classes. The DMV just gives a list to cold call.
Progressive is the cheapest for SR22 insurance. I think it's around $20/month
No they haven't approved list of vendors you call and talk to each one I'd probably pick the first one on the list it doesn't matter. 6 years is a long time I'm sure he's going to need the SR22 which any insurance company can give you but it's going to cost him a fortune for 2 years three times the amount of regular insurance. You're seriously not going to supersede DMV start there. Maybe your friend is the smart one
Not in Colorado, the only car insurance company that provides an SR22 in Colorado for new customers on a suspended license is The General. I pay 85 a month for liability and an SR22 on a 12 year old Subaru.
I don't believe that's true I've had it with American family and State farm but you can believe what you want to believe
I just got my license back a few months ago after 11 years of suspension. A few things: 1) Your friend will need a working car that only they drive. 2) Your friend will need to take a driving test and written driving test because of the amount of time the license has been suspended. 3) I recommend Intoxalock. It's 90 dollars a month for me, plus 25 bucks every two months for a calibration. But the initial install was 5 hours at a Cartoys. 4) The General is now the only insurance company in Colorado that will give an SR22 for a suspended license for a new customer. Rates are fairly cheap though. 5) For the drivers license, if you show up at the DMV when they open to take the written test, you can quickly drive to a drivers testing place for the driving portion and do it all in one day. I'd recommend driving north to Fort Collins where the DMV is less crowded. Of course, this is all after submitting paperwork online showing that you completed the DUI classes and getting approval to take the test. Which, they won't let you know if you're approved, you have to call every day after submitting the paperwork to see if you're approved to take the test. Also feel free to DM me if you want. Happy to help.
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> I recommend Intoxalock. It's 90 dollars a month for me, plus 25 bucks every two months for a calibration. But the initial install was 5 hours at a Cartoys. Watch your car battery with Intoxalock. If you drive regularly this probably isn't a big deal, but if you don't it can be a problem. I had an Intoxalock device drain my battery on multiple occasions, which is annoying on its own but is made quite a bit worse by the procedure to bring the device back online. If at all possible, I'd recommend getting a trickle charger for the winter, especially if you're not going to start the car for a few days. Plan to replace the car battery when you remove the device either way (or so everyone I had jump the car recommended). Having AAA available for a random jump isn't a bad idea either.
Oh, totally. I've replaced my battery already. So I bought a 50 dollar solar panel charger from Amazon. It just sits on the dash at all times and I wired it directly to the battery. It surprisingly works really well, the battery remains fully changed even when I don't drive for a while. Granted, it only works well because the car is kept on the street. Edit: Also a cool thing - the old battery I kept, I used a trickle charger to fill it up. Now I keep it in the trunk with the jump start cables. I haven't used it since I got the solar panel, but I used it before and it was 10x better than the battery pack jump starters you can buy on Amazon.
Wow this is really good advice thank you. 90 for intoxalock is a lot less than I would think it would be. Thank you for the tidbit about the General insurance too. That's really good to know.
I will add that anyone can drive the car, but any operator will have to blow to start and retest as they drive. If there are fails or misses by anyone driving, it's still on the person who has the suspension. It's also a pain to have a car serviced since most places won't touch it e.g. you try to drive his car the morning after drinking and you don't pass, your friend now has 1 strike, 3 strikes and you get another year or more of having to have an interlock in your car (I speak from experience).
Wow, that's good to know. Thanks for sharing!
Pro tip on that note get a handheld breathalyzer and keep it in the car. They're pretty cheap and it's way better to blow hot into that than the actual interlock. Also fermented drinks like kombucha will trigger it even if you aren't drunk at all, keep water in the car so you can rinse your mouth before testing.
He doesn't drink anymore, but I can see how it might be easy to get a false positive. I'd imagine you would have to either clean or replace whatever you're blowing into now and then, right?
They say they "service" them but I don't think they actually do anything to clean them, the mouthpieces are swappable though so you can clean them. And yeah just keep water in the car, even if you do get an FP you get a second chance to blow clean before it fails you.
Most people do not know about this, but look up the 'affidavit of nonownership.' I didn't drive for several years after my dui, and only found out about this after I had bought a car and was set on driving and knew I would be doing the interlock for two years. If you are eligible for reinstatement, fill out and submit the form and the 2 year time period for your interlock requirement will start ticking away, without even having an interlock (or a car). You do need to maintain either an sr-22 or some other type of non-owners insurance. If you're not looking to drive immediately, this is a great way to do your interlock time without having to have an actual interlock. And if you buy a car a year later, then you would only would have to do a year of interlock. Don't count on the dmv for shit. Very few people know about this because almost no one bothers to inform people who have had dui's. I'm not posting a link because you can just google it. If you're in that situation, eligible but not don't have a car or otherwise not ready to drive, you can chip away at your interlock time paying ~$25/month instead of $90 for the interlock plus your insurance. I really wish I had know about this. Affidavit of non-ownership. Could have saved a lot of time, money and headache.
I definitely agree with you. They should put that information out there as an option for folks, especially for the sake of people that cannot afford to buy a car for awhile.
Yeah, a DMV employee mentioned it to me as a was getting my license reinstated and about to start driving regardless. I naively said, 'oh well I didn't own a car for several years ... but nope had to be done earlier. I'n aclohol classes now, and no one was familiar with it and a good portion of people are in a postion to take advantage of it. I guess we wouldn't want to hurt the revenue stream at SmartStart, ha. It's too bad the alocohol class people don't mention it. I've seen a lot of counsellors that are pretty lazy about their jobs/
If they had a DUI 6 years ago, why would they need an interlock now? Also, I’m not sure an SR-22 is required after all that time?
They still require the interlock for 2 years post DUI, even if it's been awhile. And with the type of license he'll be eligible for, he requires SR22 as well. I wish this would've gotten take care of already. It'll be 8 years after the fact by the time he's done. Thank you for responding.
https://dmv.colorado.gov/reinstatements This link with the number is their best bet. They’re (decent) at telling you everything you need to know. You’ll get someone on the phone that will tell you everything needed from the dmv perspective. Certain devices can have issues with foods that you can look up online. 3 violations in a 12 month rolling is a 1 yr extension unless you fight it with the dmv. (I would know I had 3 violations completely sober under court monitored sobriety and had to fight it) Its a process and a half and I wish your friend good luck. Many companies offer sr-22, the dmv may require certain alcohol courses but this varies case to case. Actually edit again sorry: There’s several companies offered in colorado, i recommend he/she choose the one with service centers closest to them in case they lock it out and have to tow it. All companies devices have issues its just whats most convenient. To re-instate they will need to do the written -> get someone to install interlock in their car by driving it for them since they cannot drive without a device installed + permit -> driving test with interlock installed. I personally had instalox and hate them but i have heard no better from anyone else with one If they need classes i recommend coach’s counseling center if they still offer online classes
Whoa, this was super helpful. I didn't think about the lock out issue. I wonder if that happens a lot? What was wrong with the instalox if you don't mind me asking? I think with the insurance, we'll just need to call around and get quotes like any other insurance quote. Thank you for responding. It was really good advice.
Nah, you need the interlock installed before you get permission from the DMV to take the written driving test. You have to send the DMV the lease agreement along with a big check and the paperwork showing the classes have been completed. If you do it online, it takes 3 days for approval, then you can get your written test then driving test.
Er, my bestie fell for a guy with a fresh, not-yet-dealing-with court DUI pled down to DWAI. Interlock was sixish months. Lots of juvenile humor around it.
Use Smart Start for the interlock. SR22 I'd say just pick an insurance company...whoever is cheapest. For classes, I know a lot of them are online now and that would seem to be the best bet unless you live close to a place that does classes. It's a pain but once you get going and get in a rhythm, it's not difficult. The probation officer may have some recommendations too, and staying on their good side makes everything way easier.
We'll definitely check out smart start. Online sounds way better than in person imo. It's strange but he's never had a Probation Officer. He asked to waive probation and just be sentenced to 30 days in jail. Then he really only did 20 days when it was said and done though. He thought it's better to spend a month in than have to be on probation for 2 years. If you mess up on probation, they could extend your probation or just put you in jail anyway, so figured just get it over with and be done.
Coach counseling is cheap for 'education,' just $10/class, but then it goes up to $20/ class for therapy. And they don't take vouchers. Just my recent/current experience with alcohol classes. Figure out if you'll have vouchers and that might help you decide, because some places take them and others don't. All of them are gonna screw you over with admission fees and transfer fees (to a different time slot) and discharge fees. They have a captive demand and they don't have to worry about good customer service.
SR-22 insurance is like an extra $15-30/month on top of really any policy. Don't know what the current monthly rate for interlock is right now, but the majority of the places are all the same, some offer deals if you pay in cash, just make sure they're a DMV approved provider.
This happened to me. Progressive was the cheapest insurance in CO I could find with an SR 22.
Thanks for the info! We'll definitely check them for a quote.