Of all the criminal offenses in the US, DUI is the most common one. Like all offences, DUIs carry some serious consequences, and not just legal ones. A DUI, or a DWAI charge in New York State, can affect many different areas of your life.
Not only does a DWAI charge cause temporary inconvenience, but it also has a serious impact on your personal and professional life down the road. Below, four long-term consequences of a DWAI charge and how it can ruin your life forever.
Your driver’s license will be revoked
We’re all aware of the penalties that occur as a result of driving while ability impaired. From hefty fines to jail time to probation, there are numerous legal consequences to keep in mind. If you’re charged with a DWAI, there is also the danger of having your driver’s license revoked.
This can be detrimental to your private and professional life for a number of reasons.
For starters, you would have trouble getting to work because you’d need to use another mode of transportation. If your career requires you to drive, you would face a job loss instantly. You would also be unable to perform daily errands, visit family, or attend social gatherings. Not being able to drive your car might also hurt your performance at work because of the stress and frustration involved.
Dramatic rise in car insurance costs or loss of insurance altogether
As if fines weren’t already detrimental to your finances,you could also face higher car insurance costs following your DWAI conviction. Once you have a DWAI charge on your criminal record, car insurance companies deem you a high-risk driver. Because of this, some car insurance companies may even refuse to provide insurance to DUI offenders.
As a result, your DWAI charge can cause your current car insurance company to terminate your policy or refuse to renew it. Even if the company continues to provide insurance to you, you can expect it to double or triple in costs.
It may cost you professional relationships, both current and future ones
As a DWAI offender, you will be expected to make time for community service, attend court hearings, and even spend some time behind bars. If you’re employed, this will mean missing a lot of time from work which could result in job loss. If you’re a professional driver, you will immediately lose your license because of your conviction. This means that you’d also need to change careers since you can no longer drive. Doctors, lawyers, and accountants might also lose their professional license if they’re convicted of drunk driving.
And even then, finding employment might be difficult considering the fact that the DUI charges can stay on a person’s driving record for up to a decade. This could be a problem given how most employers do a background check during the hiring process.
Damaged reputation and personal relationships
Your professional relationships are not the only ones that will suffer due to a DWAI charge. Your personal relationships may also be negatively affected by your conviction. Truth be told, there is a lot of social stigma and judgement involved when it comes to DUI convictions. This is especially true in cases of DUI accidents and injuries. From family and friends to co-workers, people may start to perceive and treat you differently after you get charged with a DWAI. You might even lose job opportunities within your own industry because your reputation has been damaged by a DWAI charge.
Add to that all the financial strain from a DWAI charge, license revocation, and a potential job loss, and things can easily become too difficult to handle. As a result, depression and isolation are common among people who get charged with drunk driving, as they often deal with a lot of shame and guilt regarding their charge. While relationships can be repaired and reputation rebuilt, it might take quite some time.
Protect yourself and your future by avoiding a DWAI charge
Aside from penalties such as fines, probation, and jail time, a DWAI charge can have a negative effect on both private and professional life. From your reputation and personal relationships to your job and your license, you are putting all these things on the line every time you sit behind the wheel while intoxicated. It is better to be safe than sorry, and by taking steps to avoid getting charged with a DWAI, you will be protecting yourself, your future, and those you love.
