Cindy is 19 years old. One afternoon, she has one beer with a couple friends, and then she drives her little sister to a friend’s house. Along the way, the police stop her because a tail light is out. Guess what? She’s arrested, taken to jail, and the car is impounded. Later, she’s convicted under her state’s new Zero Tolerance law, designed to discourage teens under 21, who are not legally allowed to drink, from drinking and driving. She loses her license for a year, she has to perform 40 hours of community service, and she has to attend a driver safety course for three months. And, because a minor was in the car with her, she has to spend several days in jail.
That’s not all. After she gets her license back, Cindy has to pay four times as much for insurance as she did before her conviction. And she’ll have to pay four times the going rate for five years. That penalty alone could cost her $50,000.
She Didn’t Learn
Several years after her conviction, Cindy has another beer before she gets behind the wheel. She’s involved in a minor traffic accident caused by another driver. The police appear from nowhere, they smell beer on Cindy’s breath, and they arrest her once again. This time, Cindy’s in a heck of a lot more trouble than she was the first time. It’s her second offense in less than five years, she’s charged with Felony DUI, and she’s going to spend at least five days in jail! Not only that, but – as a convicted felon – her career prospects are severely diminished. If Cindy had planned on going to law school, or nursing school, or becoming a schoolteacher, she might find those opportunities closed to her. More likely, she’ll discover just how hard it is for a convicted felon to get a decent job.
Stiffer and Stiffer Penalties
About a third of all drivers arrested for DUI are repeat offenders, and better than 10% of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes have been convicted of DUI within the past few years. About 15 percent of U.S. adults have driven under the influence of alcohol in the past year, and another 5% have driven under the influence of illegal drugs. The result? Penalties for DUI are getting stiffer and stiffer.
First-Time Offenders
If you’re a first-time offender, you’ll probably spend no more than a few hours or an evening in the county jail, but you’ll also face some stiff financial penalties. You could be fined anywhere from $200 to $1,200, depending on the jurisdiction. The court might order you to take a driver safety course, and you’ll have to pay for that.
On top of fines are other fees, including compensating the police and the courts, you might be required to provide community service. That could mean wearing a bright orange vest while picking up trash along a highway.
And – depending on the circumstances – you might have to spend more than a few days in jail. And you’ll need money for bail, for the cost of towing and storing your car, and for a lawyer familiar DUI cases.
It could cost you thousands of dollars to deal with the slightest offense. And it’s probably going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars in increased insurance premiums over the next five to ten years.
If Someone Is Hurt
If anyone was injured as a result of anything you did while driving under the influence, you’re probably going to jail. You could go to jail even if someone else caused the accident. And you could be sued. Your entire family could go from doing very well to being very poor because you broke the law.
Repeat Offenders
If you’re a repeat offender, this much is obvious – the first dose of punishment failed to get you to change your ways. As far as the law is concerned, you need more severe punishment.
You’ll be paying greater fines. You’ll be doing more community service. You’ll have to do without a driver’s license for several months or years.
When you get your license back, you might find it impossible to get auto insurance. And if you get caught driving without insurance, your situation goes from bad to worse.
And, of course, it’s more likely that you’ll have to spend some time – from several weeks to several months to several years – in jail. And, as mentioned earlier, you might find yourself charged with a felony, rather than a misdemeanor.
Finding Representation
Even if you have found yourself in one of these tricky situations, there is some hope. A skilled attorney who specialists in DUI and DWI cases will be able to give you the expert advice and representation you need. While it’s very likely you will have some repercussions to deal with, a law firm specializing in drunk driving cases will be able to get you the best possible outcome and could possibly have the charges dropped.
You can find your area’s highest quality legal professionals who are extremely well versed and experience with helping DUI defendants with online resource and directory Local-Attorneys. With Local-Attorneys you are matched with the absolute best local lawyers who are ready to represent you to the fullest in your upcoming legal issue. While it’s never OK to get behind the wheel after having even one drink, this article is intended to provide information and tips about common DUI scenarios, so that hopefully you think twice before you make a bad decision.