Naked Truth

Cost

DUI: THE $10,000 RIDE HOME

• Bail: $150-$2,500
• Towing: $100-$1,200
• Insurance: $4,500 or more
• Legal fees: $2,000-$25,000
• Fines: $300-$1,200
• Alcohol education and treatment: $350-$2,000 for basic treatment
• License reinstatement fees: $60-$250
  Total: $7,460 and up

 

Additional fees – for example:

• $10 jail filing fee
• $78 Victim Assistance Fund payment
• $25 Victim Compensation Fund payment
• $90 for the Law Enforcement Assistance Fund
• $15 Brain Injury surcharge
• $25 Victim Impact Panel assessment
• $65-70 Ignition lock
• Cost: $308 and up

 

The unexpected and sometimes unquantifiable costs:

• Life-insurance premium increases
• Lost time = lost money
• Lose the license? Lose the job.
• It’s not good for the résumé

(Costs shown here are for first-time DUI offenders. Costs and penalties are often more severe if you’re a repeat offender or your blood-alcohol content is above 0.15%.)

 

Costs per Alcohol-Related Injury
The average alcohol-related fatality in the United States costs

$3.5 million:$1.1 million in monetary costs
$2.4 million in quality of life losses

The estimated cost per injured survivor of an alcohol-related crash averaged $99,000

$49,000 in monetary costs
$50,000 in quality of life losses

 
Crash costs per Mile Driven in the United States averaged:
$5.80 per mile driven at BACs of .10 and above
$2.50 per mile driven at BACs between .08-.09
$0.10 per mile driven at BACs of .00

 

Costs per Drink
The societal costs of alcohol-related crashes in the United States averaged $1.00 per drink consumed. People other than the drinking driver paid $0.60 per drink.

 

Impact on Auto Insurance Rates
Alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 18% of the $103 billion in U.S. auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10% would save $1.8 billion in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses.