How much will a drunk driving charge cost? If you’ve been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) in your state, you might be considering how much of a hit your bank account is going to take.
Unfortunately, there’s really no way to know exactly how much your drunk driving charge will cost you personally until you get in front of a judge, but a recent case in North Carolina suggests it might add up to a huge number.
A twenty-two-year-old man went to court for his DUI charge after he crashed into two people on an Interstate, and he was given a great plea deal. The actual DUI charge was dropped so it wouldn’t appear on his record, and he was only given supervised probation.
So no DUI charge, no jail time, no problem, right? Wrong. He actually wasn’t able to walk away free and clear because he was ordered to pay almost $600,000 in restitution to cover the medical bills of the people he hit.
Some states may require a drunk driver to pay restitution to his or her victims if they’re convicted of DUI or DWI, so it’s not unheard of that he’d have to pay but the price tag in this case is definitely high.
Restitution really brings up the costs of a DUI, but in any drunk driving charge there are other fines and penalties to consider including:
- Driver’s license fines for reinstatement and restricted license applications
- Monthly payment for an ignition interlock device after you’re able to drive again
- Fees for programs including DUI school or alcohol programs
There’s no one-size-fits-all for how much will a drunk driving charge cost you, but these are things you might want to take into consideration the next time you’re tempted to drink and drive. Anything can happen when you’re under the influence of alcohol, and you don’t want to be the person to injure someone and receive a six hundred thousand dollar bill.
The Friday Fallout: Every Friday Guardian Interlock will bring you a unique drunk driving case that demonstrates the impact, or fallout, of drunk driving.