People commit the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs without fully realizing the magnitude of their acts or the potential outcomes.

One’s life might be impacted in several ways by drunk driving charges. Among these are having difficulty securing employment, spending much more on motor insurance, and even revoking driving privileges.

Financial Consequences

Intoxicated driving can have serious financial consequences for everyone involved. DUI charges are generally costly and may cause a significant increase in auto insurance rates and potential future increases in rates. These are some costs that may be involved:

• Auto insurance
• Driver’s license reinstatement
• Vehicle-related fees

If you are found guilty of a DUI, you will lose your license for a while and then need to pay the reinstatement fees. You will also need to pay an impound lot fee to get the car back. After you get your license back, you will probably need to install an ignition interlock device and pay all associated installation and maintenance costs.

DUI classes are one of the mandatory penalties for convictions, and depending on the circumstances, they can cost anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars. Working with an experienced DUI lawyer can help build a case to have the charges reduced.

Career and Work

The most obvious way a DUI can affect your current career is to lose time at work if you are sentenced to prison. Employers would not want to continue working with them if they discovered you were convicted.

Additionally, unless you are successful in having your DUI conviction expunged, it will remain on your permanent record. As a result, you will be forced to include it in your criminal history whenever you apply for a job in the future.

Some businesses demand a criminal history check to confirm the information on your application is accurate. A DUI may not seem a big deal when finding employment, but many businesses view it as a liability.

A DUI may cause you to seek new employment if your position requires you to possess a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate company cars.

If you need to advance your studies, it could be difficult if you are guilty of a DUI. Students having a DUI on their records may not be accepted by some colleges and universities. Some colleges might approve the student but reject financial aid requests, making it difficult for some of them to afford classes.

Civil Litigation

You may be subject to a civil lawsuit and potential criminal penalties if you have caused harm to another person while driving drunk. Both sorts of prosecution can be challenging to handle intellectually and emotionally. The verdict in the lawsuit(s) could have a long-lasting impact on your life.

Credit

Lenders thoroughly investigate applicants’ employment history, credit history, and financial background. DUIs may unintentionally result in your mortgage application being rejected because of the different ways this can affect key variables.

Numerous circumstances exist in which a DUI can negatively impact someone’s credit report. Following court regulations to prevent additional criminal charges, they must pay heavy fines and court costs associated with a DUI conviction.

These additional financial strains of covering expenses can occasionally make it difficult for a person to pay on-time rent and other bills. These consequences could also damage a person’s credit.

Seek Legal Counsel

Being accused of or found guilty of a crime is a stressful experience. The sensation of being arrested might also trigger anxiety or fear. Furthermore, surviving an automobile accident caused by a drunk driver can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Driving while intoxicated can have significant, lasting impacts on your life and other people’s lives.

Hiring a professional DUI attorney often yields favorable results that allow clients to continue living their everyday lives with minimal disruption. With a DUI attorney, you can formulate a plan to fight the charges and hopefully have them dropped or at least reduced.

Mark Scott

With a law degree under his belt, Mark Scott understood very early that law communication was a relatively neglected area. He decided to help people by “translating” the language and offering information and advice in a clear, useful, and actionable manner. For this reason, instead of finding him in court, you will most likely find his name online, where he is very active and thriving as a legal columnist. His part of making the world a better place is to make the law a less convoluted maze. He aims to make it easier for people to understand when and how to seek legal counsel, how to proceed in a significant number of legal matters, and to find the proper resources so they can stand up for their rights.