Going to a holiday party this season? If you plan to drink or use marijuana, think hard before getting behind the wheel of a car. Apart from getting seriously hurt in a car accident, here are five additional consequences to consider:

1. If you are convicted of an impaired driving offence you will be disentitled to multiple benefits that would normally be available to you under your auto policy including, income replacement benefits, lost educational expenses and housekeeping expenses.

2. If you cause an accident and are convicted of impaired driving, you are precluded from suing anyone else you say is responsible for the accident. This means, the inability to claim pain and suffering, loss of income, or any additional medical or rehab funding that you may need over and above what your own insurer will fund.

3. Your insurer can refuse to cover the cost of damage to your vehicle if you are convicted of an impaired driving offence.

4. An impaired driving conviction on your driving record may cause your insurance company to refuse to renew your policy and in some instances they will cancel it, especially if your impaired driving was the cause of serious injury.

5. Insurance companies don’t like risk. Even if you have not injured anyone, if you are convicted of impaired driving, your insurance rates could increase to as high as $8,000 to $10,000 more per year than regular insurance rates.

The big takeaway is: Just as you expect your insurance company to uphold its end of the deal and provide you with coverage, you – as the insured – also have your own obligations under the insurance policy contract.  Paying a premium does not result in automatically being covered.

Michelle Arzaga, is a personal injury lawyer at Pace Law Firm with expertise in litigating claims on behalf of individuals seriously injured from accidents with motor vehicles. She can be reached at .