Driving under the influence will hurt your wallet

Talk about it

We shouldn’t really need another reminder about the dangers of driving under the influence, but unfortunately, we do. The North Dakota Department of Transportation has provided one.

The agency says a first-time drunk driving offense can cost a driver as much as $10,000. Among those costs:

— As much as $6,600 in higher insurance rates after being convicted of drunk driving.

— As much as $2,500 in attorney and court fees.

— A $250 minimum fine, a $300 alcohol evaluation, charges for towing a vehicle and a victim impact fee.

The DOT is implementing a new campaign against drinking and driving, and it’s using the economic impact to make its point. If it resonates with even a few drivers and helps keep them off the road if they’ve been drinking, it will be worth it.

Certainly the main reason to avoid driving under the influence is the serious risk of injury or death, either to the driver or to someone he or she may have an accident with while under the influence. That alone should be enough to keep some potential drunk drivers off the road, but we all know it isn’t.

The threat of jail time after being convicted of drunk driving should also be enough to discourage drunk drivers. But we all know it isn’t.

So maybe focusing on the cost of a drunk driving arrest will be a deterrent to those drivers who still think it can’t happen to them. To those drivers, we’d suggest this: Take a look at the court records published in this newspaper. You’ll find the costs of drunk driving offenses are very real, and very expensive.

Tags: drunk driving, opinion, editorials