Adults tell us from a very young age that we shouldn’t drink and drive. They show us statistics. They give us stories to read. It’s on the news all the time. Family members and friends have stories of people who have suffered terrible consequences from drinking and driving. And yet it remains a problem. So it’s important to keep talking about the fallout from drinking and driving and the potential to get a DUI conviction.
If you get caught drinking and driving and get convicted in a court of driving under the influence, you can lose your license, your employment opportunities can change, and you can go heavily into debt because of court fees. And that’s just if you get pulled over and caught. If you hurt someone or damage property, it can be much worse for you and include jail time and other life-changing consequences.
Losing Your License
Most people rely on their ability to drive to their place of work, to school, or to most of their functions. If you get convicted of a DUI, you can lose your drivers license immediately. Depending on what state you live in, what your blood alcohol level was, and if you caused any damage, the details surrounding losing that license could change. But at the very least, you will have a set of time where you will not have a vehicle available. You can try using taxis, calling friends, or using public transportation of other sorts, but especially if you live in a suburban or country area, you may be out of options. So losing your license can directly lead to loss of job, schooling, and many other options.
Employment Opportunities
After you’ve been convicted of a DUI, that conviction may be put on your permanent record. And then you have to ask yourself, do you have to tell your employer or potential employer that you’ve gotten a DUI? The answer varies state to state and situation to situation, but the smarter play is not to get the DUI in the first place. Drinking and driving is never worth it, and so even just brief thoughts about the risk should keep you from doing it.
Court Fees
Getting a DUI means paying the court lots of money. It means giving a lawyer lots of money. Even if you ultimately don’t get convicted, the court fees can be astronomical. So the cost of a few beers can turn into tens of thousands of dollars over time in legal fees if you choose to drive after drinking. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying alcohol when you’re out with friends or out at a bar or restaurant. But you always have to make sure that over a certain amount, you are not responsible for going behind the wheel of the vehicle.
