Unless your New Year’s resolution is to shell out thousands of dollars to lawyers, courts, the state Department of Motor Vehicles and your insurance company, driving drunk is something you’ll want to avoid tonight.
From attorney’s fees to the monthly price of renting an on-board breathalyzer, the financial effect for anyone caught behind the wheel impaired can easily top thousands of dollars, according to AAA spokesman Lon Anderson.
“The consequences of drunk driving, even if you don’t kill someone, can be enormous,” said Anderson, a former chairman of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program and a prior member of the Virginia drunken driving task force.
Most people accused of drunken driving hire a lawyer, he said.
“It’s not unusual for attorney’s fees to run from $1,500 to $3,000 or more,” Anderson said.
Then come penalties and court costs, ranging from $250 to a few thousand dollars for a second or third offense.
Virginia exacts a particularly high toll on drunken drivers: Under the “abuser fees” included in the transportation funding bill in April, a DUI will cost $750 upon conviction and two additional $750 payments within 26 months, according to a summary published by the Virginia Supreme Court. Those payments are made to the DMV and are on top of any other fines.
Many convicted drunken drivers are required to test their blood-alcohol content before they can start their car with a device attached to their ignition. Leasing an “interlock” device can run from a minimum $35 per month to as a high as $80 per month, according to Anderson.
Insurance premiums are also going to increase significantly with a DUI conviction, a surcharge, he said, that can stick around for three to five years.
In many cases, the driver’s license is suspended or revoked, which triggers the new complication and expense of seeking alternative transportation, Anderson said.
Still worse, some offenders can find themselves dealing with all these costs without a weekly paycheck, because some employers do not look kindly upon those convicted of DUI.
“There are many, many professions in which being arrested for drunk driving would have significant, if not fatal consequences for the job,” Anderson said.
