Serious financial penalties follow a DUI

drink driving conceptThere are two major consequences to a drunk driving charge: there are the legal consequences and the financial consequences. We covered the legal consequences in our last post, and they include things such as jail time, the loss of your license, the impounding of your vehicle and numerous other penalties. These are substantial forms of punishment that could change your life.

But the financial penalties are also life-changing, and they may even affect you for a longer amount of time. For example, tied in to your jail time are fees and costs. Getting your vehicle out of impound will cost you. You will also have to pay hundreds of dollars to reinstate your license and deal with court dates and other administrative events.

This is only the beginning though. While your car is impounded or while you have no license, you will need to pay for other forms of transportation. You also may have to deal with ignition interlock devices, which cost money to install and maintain. And of course, there is the matter of your car insurance. You can expect your insurance rates to jump dramatically, and higher costs could be a burden you deal with for many years after a DUI.

All of this is to say that being accused of a DUI is an incredibly serious and punishing moment of your life. You have to defend yourself in these circumstances, because the alternative is lifetime of dealing with the consequences.

Source: BACtrack, “The High Costs of a DUI,” Accessed May 4, 2017