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Twenty thousand dollars sounds like a lot to pay
for a drink at your best buddy's Memorial day cookout, but if that
last icy cold beer puts you over the legal limit, you'll be paying
for it for years to come.
And that's only considering the potential financial
cost of being ticketed for driving under the influence or driving
while intoxicated, better known as DUI or DWI. It'll take even longer
to get past the staggering financial blow if you cause an accident
-- or the emotional devastation if your actions cause injuries or
worse.
Memorial Day is a notorious time for drunken driving
and in many jurisdictions, law enforcement sets up checkpoints during
this holiday and the weekend nearest to it to catch intoxicated
drivers. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, or NHTSA, more than half (52 percent) of
the traffic fatalities on Memorial Day in 2006 were alcohol related.
It's no coincidence then, that the NHTSA has chosen this time of
year to kick off their Click It or Ticket Campaign to step up enforcement
of seatbelt laws, meaning even more police will be on the road to
spot drunk drivers.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving has noted Memorial Day weekend to
be one of the most dangerous holidays for drunk driving.
More than 13,000 people were killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle
crashes alone in 2006 and those crashes cost about $51 billion every
year. In 2005, a whopping 1.4 million drivers were arrested for
driving under the influence.
One drink too many puts you at risk for not only an arrest, but also for fees, fines and costs that can run you thousands of dollars. While a DUI or DWI may be a misdemeanor charge in a number of jurisdictions, it's a matter that most judges and district attorneys take very seriously. The financial toll of a conviction will play out for years to come, and in many states that can add up to $20,000 before everything is over. This includes bail, fines, legal fees, increased auto insurance premiums, loss of work income, court-ordered alcohol education programs and more.
Of course, if you get fired from your job as a result of the arrest, that dollar figure would skyrocket.
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| Potential expenses from a DUI -- first offense |
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You don't even have to get convicted to start running up expenses on a DUI charge. But if you're found guilty, a first offense could mean that last drink cost you dearly. While the amounts vary by location and specific circumstances, here are some of the expenses you may realize:
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Fines. |
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Court costs. |
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Attorney fees. |
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Bail. |
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Loss of job. |
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DUI "school." |
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Temporary loss of income. |
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Car towing, impounding. |
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Alternate transportation costs. |
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Car ignition interlock device. |
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Periodic blood testing. |
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Monthly monitoring fees. |
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Cost of incarceration. |
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Increased auto insurance premiums. |
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The financial impact of a DUI arrest on any one person can vary greatly depending on many factors, such as driving record, jurisdiction, blood-alcohol level, attorney fees and fines, not to mention the specific circumstances of the incident and whether there was an accident or if anyone was injured.
The Texas Department of Transportation says a June 2006 survey in that state showed the total costs of a DWI arrest and conviction -- for a first time offender with no accident involved -- would range from $9,000 to $24,000.
And while expenses can vary substantially by jurisdiction, in no city is a DUI charge cheap.
In 2000, when graduate student Kate S. was driving home from a party in Woodstock, Ga., she was involved in an accident. She was not found to be at fault for the mishap, but blood tests at the hospital later revealed she was over the legal alcohol limit and she was booked on a DUI charge. Some costs Kate had to pay included a $2,500 fine, approximately $3,000 in legal fees and insurance premiums that rose an additional $600 per year for the next five years.
"As part of my sentence, I had to go to what they call 'DUI school,' and one of the things we had to do was tally up how much it cost you. I came up with about $13,000 in all," says Kate.
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