If you have been stopped by the police and accused of drunk driving, you may decide to let it slide. If you have a busy life, you may consider it is the least of your worries. Or, you may have such a lack of faith in the system that you believe fighting a charge is pointless. You would not be the first to give up before you started.
Before you make such a rash decision, you must understand how serious a DUI charge is and how it can affect your life.
- Fines: Even if the fine is small change to you, it is money that you could spend better elsewhere. If you want to give money away for free, donate it to someone who needs it instead.
- License suspension: Maybe you do not drive your car much and can walk or cycle most places. What if you need to take your elderly mom to the clinic for a check-up, pick your kids up from a late party or go to an important meeting out of town.
- Jail time: Even for a first offense, the prosecutors could push for time behind bars if you were over 0.15 on a Breathalyzer test.
- It may happen again: The consequences would be much more severe if charged again, as it would be a second offense.
- You have a criminal record: Getting into colleges, getting specific jobs or getting on housing schemes may all become harder or impossible due to one DUI charge.
A DUI charge may seem insignificant, but the effect it can have on your life is not. It is worth fighting for your future.
