What Does a DUI Cost?

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Posted by Money Tips Staff

Nobody thinks they’re going to get a DUI; otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel in the first place. So you have a drink (or three), decide at the end of the night that enough time has passed to get the alcohol out of your system (you certainly feel sober and in control), and make the biggest mistake of your life. If you’re lucky, all that happens is a cop spots you driving erratically, pulls you over for a breathalyzer test, and books you for driving under the influence. Of course, you might not feel very lucky, but it’s definitely preferable to vehicular manslaughter. And while you will almost certainly arrange for a designated driver or some type of safe ride (like a taxi) in the future (or simply skip drinking if you need to drive) the unfortunate truth of the matter is that there will still be costs associated with a DUI charge.

For starters, you’ll be arrested and your car will be impounded. This means you’ll either have to sit in jail or pay to get bailed out, and once you have done so you’ll need to go to the impound lot and pay to get your car out. From there you will likely want to retain the services of a DUI attorney in order to fight the conviction. If by some miracle you are acquitted, this will be the end of your expenses, although you may already have racked up several hundred or even a couple thousand dollars’ worth of bills by this time. But if you end up being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol you’re going to face a lot more expenses.

Not only will you face the possibility of being sentenced to jail time, even as a first-time offender in some states, but you will also get slapped with fines, which could total over a thousand dollars. And once you are released from jail (or your sentence is commuted) you could be placed on probation, with a small fee for each visit, and even sentenced to a mandatory assessment and alcohol treatment program. Depending on where you go for this treatment, you could be on the hook for several thousand dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. You may also have to pay to have your license reinstated and you could face ongoing costs for an ignition interlock device (which locks your car so that you can’t drive it while intoxicated) or alcohol monitoring (like an ankle bracelet).

All told, it is estimated that the average person dealing with the expenses of a DUI conviction will end up paying anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 (although again, it varies by state and by specific punishment). And although a DUI attorney Orlando to Albany to Albuquerque will comprise a major portion of that expense, it could be worth it to avoid the additional costs that come with a conviction – financial, legal, criminal, or otherwise (not the least of which is a permanent black mark on your driving record).

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