Getting intoxicated is a choice, the same way you decide whether to have breakfast, buy a new shoe, or get a haircut. And as the saying goes, every choice which leads to action has a consequence.
Despite people having ample knowledge of the dangers associated with driving while drunk, many still choose to get behind the wheel after hitting the legally defined alcohol limit.
The consequences of their actions are what you see when you read about this DUI offense committed by drivers daily and check statistics of drunk-driving crashes. Families have been shattered by some people’s choice to get behind the wheel after having one too many alcoholic beverages, more reason to read about how being a drunk and reckless driver affects you before doing it.
Revocation Or Suspension Of License
The first in the chain of events when you are charged for a DUI offense is the suspension of your license by the Department of Motor Vehicles or the court. This applies in any state within the U.S.
If you are a first DUI offender, your license will be suspended for ninety (90) days or restricted to certain locations with requirements that you install an ignition interlock device (IID). But, if you have many DUI charges in your name, authorities may revoke your license.
This is the first process before your sentencing or punishment is decided by the judge.
Jail Time
In a situation when your drunk driving causes serious bodily injury to another party, you face criminal charges that require being tried in a court of law, being sentenced, and serving jail time.
I will advise you to read more about DUI offenses to get acquainted with state laws on DUI offenders and how many months you are liable to spend in prison for driving under the influence, even without causing an accident.
As a first-time offender, the maximum sentence time is six months for drunk driving and could be more than, if you cause an accident because that makes it a felony offense.
Cost And Fines
A DUI charge is very expensive, a website for people with alcohol problems pointed out that the lowest estimated cost for defending a DUI charge is over $9,000, depending on the state where you are arrested.
That is the cost in money terms, however, the physical and economic cost could be detrimental as you could lose your job when your employer discovers you have a criminal record. Not only that, installing an IID in your car is at your own expense, these are information that is accessible when you take your time to read up on the consequences of this offense before you go about driving under the influence.
In the situation when your lawyer earns his fee and helps you avoid prison time, you will still be required to pay a fine ranging from $500 to $2000, as stipulated by the court.
Community Service And Probation
The other alternative to serving prison time is the submission of your person to a rehabilitation process as recommended by the court or presiding judge.
As a first offender, submitting yourself to a rehab, several hours of community service within a period, probation years, and license suspension could be your penalty for the DUI charge. However, the probation period may be the hardest as a relapse in the conditions of your punishment may lead to your re-arrest and serving prison time.
Reporting for community service could require you to take public service employment, and your failure to adapt to this environment or job sector could cause trouble for your rehabilitation as a DUI offender.
Insurance Consequences
Insurance companies are wary of drunk drivers as a client, even a reformed one. When you buy vehicle insurance from these firms, they label you as a high-risk driver leading you to pay higher rates as a premium to cover the policy.
In a situation when you are convicted for a DUI charge, your insurer may cancel your policy, if it will cost them to pay more to cover your risk, leaving you high and dry to deal with the piling debt from a DUI conviction. More importantly, you could lose your car to the state, if your insurer defaults in settling your debt.
These are just surface reasons to consider when you get inside that car when you’re under the influence, the more salient ones are the toll of a DUI conviction on your mental health and the humiliations of having a criminal record. So, don’t drink under the influence of alcohol, it costs just too much.