Main Street Finance

The Cost of a DUI

By admin

The cost of a 12-pack of beer today is around $20, and that beer is enough to get your BAC above the legal limit. If you get caught drinking and driving, the cost for a first offense is pretty staggering. If there was injury or loss of life involved, the price skyrockets with hospital and insurance bills, not to mention the emotional trauma and all the jail time involved. But even with no injury, there is a substantial price tag attached.
First off, they tow your car away and impound it.

A quick tow is a few hundred dollars, and if the impound lot has your car for just a few days, you could be paying $300-$400. Then there’s court costs which, around the US range from $250-$1,500. And if you need to hire a drunk driving attorney and go to trial, that could easily be upwards of $5,000. After the court process, you are required to attend either substance abuse, counseling, or rehabilitation classes. Such classes usually take 6 months and cost about $600. You are also required to have an Ignition Interlock system installed on your car. This system makes you blow into it before you start your car to make check your BAC. Maintenance costs for these devices are about $350 and are covered by the offender. Then of course, there’s the increase to your insurance.

If you are really lucky, it will only increase by $1,000 a year. But most companies will drive it up $1,500 or more per year. Now, the cost of all these varies from state to state, with some being much higher, but on average, for a first time offense with no injuries or property damage, its about $10,000. This is a very conservative estimate so be prepared to pay much more. This price also does not take into account the loss of income from all the time you need to take off from your job for jail and court. That $20 pack of beer is now costing way more than it’s worth.

So do yourself and everyone around you a favor and call a cab, or a friend when you drink to drive you home. Even if you only have a few, it could be enough to cost you a lifetime of pain and bills.

This article was provided by the New York DUI Experts – http://www.newyorkduilawyer.net

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