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Financial Penalties for Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is illegal in every state in the U.S. Most drunk driving convictions usually lead to, at a minimum, a suspended license. A first time offender should not be surprised if a conviction results in a short jail term (usually a few days). For repeat drunk driving offenders, most states will also require a device to be installed in the offender’s car that analyzes their breath for alcohol, and prevents it from starting if any is detected.
There are also financial penalties for driving drunk, in the form of fines and increased insurance premiums.
One expert has estimated that a single DUI can cost a person, on average, $10,000. Fines are a relatively small part of this when bail, increased insurance premiums, legal fees, and mandatory alcohol treatment are taken into account.
The fines vary from state to state: the minimum fine in Colorado for a first offender is only $300, and range up to $1,200 in Illinois. In most states, a first offender should expect to pay something in the middle of that range, usually around $1,000. The other costs, however, are relatively uniform.
There are many other long-term costs which could increase the total cost by orders of magnitude. They are somewhat abstract, so most people don’t consider them when they’re making the decision to get behind the wheel, but they are very serious. For example, time in court and/or jail can cut into time that a person might otherwise spend working. If the offender has to drive to work, they will have to arrange some other form of transportation, which costs money. If the offender drives for a living, he or she is effectively out of a job during any period of license suspension.
Furthermore, a DUI lingers on a criminal record, which is often checked by employers. This could make it more difficult to get a job, which could have immeasurable financial costs in the long run.
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