| The new tag line for drinking and driving is | | | | around $4,000 in some states. Then you have |
| "drive hammered, get nailed." And law | | | | the cost of an attorney, the mandatory |
| enforcement agencies are not kidding. | | | | alcohol evaluation and treatment (the least |
| | | | you will receive for treatment is an 8 hour |
| If suspected of driving drunk, you will first | | | | informational class on the effects of alcohol |
| be tested using the field sobriety test, | | | | and driving, which typically costs around |
| which consists of walking a straight line, | | | | $50.00 to attend), probation costs, license |
| standing on one leg, and saying the | | | | reinstatement fees, and increased car |
| alphabet-backward. | | | | insurance charges. And then there's the |
| | | | hidden costs incurred by lost wages from |
| You will also be required to take a | | | | missing work or losing a job. |
| breathalyzer test, and if you refuse, you | | | | |
| will lose your license for 90 days to one | | | | A DWI can cost from $10,000 on the low end to |
| year, depending upon which state you live in. | | | | well over $50,000 when it's all said and |
| All 50 states in the US now have a legal | | | | done; again, depending on if it's your first |
| limit of .08 for blood alcohol concentration | | | | offense and in which state you reside. |
| for anyone driving a motor vehicle. | | | | |
| | | | And that's not all. |
| If you have any kind of drug or alcohol | | | | |
| offense on your record the police can search | | | | Even if you never drink and drive, your tax |
| your car without your permission. In some | | | | dollars are used to clean up the mess left by |
| states your car will be automatically towed | | | | people who choose to drink and drive. |
| and you will be placed under arrest and will | | | | |
| spend at least one mandatory night in jail. | | | | 2001 saw $230 billion tax dollars spent due |
| | | | to highway drunk driving collisions. |
| Driving under the influence is not a felony | | | | |
| offense. At least not at first. In most | | | | It costs less to take a cab from one end of |
| states a DWI will move you up to felony | | | | the United States to the other than it does |
| conviction with the second offense and in | | | | to pay for the costs you will incur if you |
| some states not until the fifth. The | | | | drink and drive, and those are just the |
| penalties also differ with the severity of | | | | monetary costs. No amount of money can make |
| the crime. In New Hampshire, for example, | | | | up for the losses incurred if you kill |
| your first DWI is a felony if you injure | | | | someone. |
| someone. | | | | |
| | | | Learn how you can help stem the tide of |
| In all states, you will get a ticket and have | | | | deaths from drunk driving and make money in |
| to appear in court. The ticket alone will be | | | | the process. Visit Alcohol Alert! |