Another reason not to drink and drive. From our partners at MainStreet.com.
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What A Fourth Of July DUI Could Cost You
By Juliana Bunim
The Fourth of July, in addition to being America’s birthday celebration, also happens to be the top U.S. holiday for beer sales.
But, before you crack open another bottle of Bud Light (BUD), if you also plan on getting behind the wheel, remember that the police are cracking down on drunk driving. Counties routinely boost highway patrol enforcement over holiday weekends, looking specifically for aggressive or impaired motorists and running screening checkpoints.
And, it doesn’t take much to send your blood alcohol level over the limit. If a 140- lb. driver imbibes four drinks over the course of a three hour barbeque, it’s enough to put him or her well over the .08 blood alcohol limit and behind bars. (One drink is considered to be 1¼ oz. of 80-proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 4 oz. of wine – something to keep in mind if your bartender or host is heavy handed.)
It’s paramount to billboard that impaired driving costs lives. Something to be considered—on an infinitesimally more minor scale—is that DUI charges can also wreck havoc on your financial health, too. A court fine for a first offense typically ranges between $1,200 and $2,500, according to William C. Makler, a Santa Barbara, Calif. attorney specializing in DUIs. If police take your vehicle into custody, add impound and storage fees of around $1,500, along with a $115 booking fee. Getting your restricted license and, eventually, your permanent one, costs another $120 in reinstatement fees. Mandatory drug and alcohol assessment and counseling also costs about $600. Those are just some obvious costs. If your erratic driving required emergency response — the fire department or paramedics — there is a cost recovery statute that bills you for their efforts, which can run from $700 to $2,000. Already, we’re talking potentially $7,000.
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