One DWI charge can have a devastating effect on your finances. If you are not flush with cash, it could set off a sequence of events that plunges you into debt you struggle to escape.
Here are some of the costs that may result:
A mandatory fine
This will a between $500 and $1,000 for a standard first offense. However, it could rise to as much as $2,500 if your blood alcohol content was exceptionally high and prosecutors push to charge you with an aggravated DWI (AGG DWI).
A mandatory license suspension
You will be unable to drive for at least six months for a first offense or at least one year for an AGG DWI.
If you live in the Queens area, you at least have good public transport to get around. Yet what if driving is part of your job? You might not be able to work, and it may take time to find another job that pays the same, causing a significant loss of earnings during those months.
A possible jail sentence
Judges do not have to send you to jail, but they can do so for up to one year for a first DWI or AGG DWI. If you have rent or mortgage to pay and family to support, that is a long time without income.
Increase insurance
You’re looking at an average 76% increase in your insurance payments once permitted to drive again. That will last for several years, so you are talking thousands.
Getting legal help to fight a DWI won’t be free, but compared to the total cost of a DWI, it can be of great value.