What to expect when a DUI happens

If you're lucky, you didn't hurt anyone. Being in jail for a night is probably one of the worst experiences you ever suffered.

No smart phone to play with, no email, no texting, no TV, nothing. It's just you and that wall, and that encroaching hangover you have to deal with.

When you finally get out, reality sets in. You have to get home and take a shower. You have to explain to your loved ones what happened. you have to explain to your boss why you missed work.

You've been saving your money, just trying to stay ahead of the bills, and now this?

How much is this going to cost me, you wonder?

I've seen it happen to so many people, and it's never a fun thing. You will face initial costs of having your car towed and impounded, which could cost more to get back than the car is worth. You may find it cheaper to just let the impound yard keep your car.

You face heavy fines from the courts. You will have to post bail before you get released. Unless you have cash at your disposal, you may have to get a bondsman to bail you out. Cost $150-$2000.

You will be forced to attend AA classes, and you will have to attend a special course that will take three months to complete, and you will have to attend several times a week for a few hours at a time. This class is not free. Cost $250.00 for 1st time offenders to $3,400 for repeat ofenders.

The courts will fine you from $390 to $1,000. In 2008, there were over 214,000 DUI arrests in California, and almost 1.4 million arrests across the nation.

Then, there's the cost of an attorney, which can be quite expensive, can range from $2,500 to $25,000, depending on the complexity of the defense and the need to hire investigators and expert witnesses.

But that's not all. Insurance companies will charge you points on your insurance for 3 years, and in California, the DWI will stay on your record for 10 years. You will also be forced to file an SR22 certificate with the DMV for three years in order to keep your license from getting suspended.

You will be paying a higher rate for your insurance for the first three years, and a higher rate for 7 years after that. So a DWI will kick you off the preferred driver list for 10 years, adding up to higher insurance costs the whole time.

Factor in the cost of lost time at work, possible job loss, and the social stigma, and a DWI can be devastating.

Add it all up, and the overall cost could approach $10,000 or more. But it happens. If it happens to you, you will have to face the music and go through it.

No matter how much that room at the motel costs, or how much a taxi ride home is, it pales in comparison to the cost of a DWI or DUI. Learn from it and never let it happen again. DWI quote