By the Georgia Department of Human Resources, From “The Daily Citizen”
ATLANTA – As the New Year approaches, this year’s toast to 2010 could cost you approximately $10,000 for driving under the influence (DUI). In Georgia a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08 grams or more promises jail time, bail, fines, fees and insurance-rate increases even if your actions did not harm anyone.
Each year, Georgia has more than 200,000 DUI arrests with the 5 Atlanta metropolitan counties accounting for more than 20,000 arrests each. According to Century Council, approximately 11,773 people were killed in drunk driving crashes. The penalties are intended to be discouraging and law enforcement officials are cracking down on driving while intoxicated.
Below are just some of the costs associated with DUI arrests:
Bail: Cost: $150 – $2,500. Cost of DUI arrests depends on how many offenses you’ve had and your blood alcohol level.
Towing: Cost: $50 – $200. The cost of towing and impounding a car can add up daily. Some cities even auction your car if you can not afford to get your car after 30 days.
Insurance: Cost: $4,500 or more. One of the biggest hits a drunken driver takes is in insurance premiums, which can likely affect insurance rates for three to five years. Rates can likely double, triple or ever quadruple and companies will classify the policy as “high-risk”.
Fines: Cost $300 – $5,000. Depending on your offense and if there have been any other arrests in the past.
Alcohol evaluation: Cost $95 – $300. An evaluation is required of anyone who is sentenced by court for drunken driving.
Alcohol education and treatment: Cost $500 – $4,000 for basic treatment. If you are convicted, you must usually go through an education or treatment program, especially if your license has been suspended.
License reinstatement fees: Cost $210 – $410. If you are convicted of a DUI in Georgia (or any other state), you can expect to face several fees to secure the reinstatement of your driver’s license. After you have completed a state-certified risk reduction program, which costs $287, you can reinstate your Georgia driver’s license for a fee of $210 – $410.
In addition to the “standard” costs of a DUI conviction, there are some consequences that are more difficult to place a number value upon but can be more devastating to many people. DUI arrests and convictions costs money, time, and can lead to job loss or prevent future employment opportunities.
If you plan to drink, plan for a designated driver. If you have had too much to drink and don’t have a designated driver, take a cab or get a sober friend to drive you home. The consequences are sobering!
Contact a Georgia DUI Lawyer if you are in need of DUI defense.
Filed under: Georgia DUI | Tagged: Georgia DUI, Georgia DUI Laws |
GeorgiaTrafficLawyer's Weblog 
It is expensive and the rate of DUI’s in GA and death’s via DUI’s have still increasing. People are still aware of the law. What is the point of making the law more expensive or the punishment worse if it isn’t changing the way people drive. I think part of the problem is that it has become a source of revenue for the state of GA and this needs to stop. When you make tickets a source of revenue the law is no longer something to help people, but something to regulate money (like a tax). The rate of increase in DUI’s is because the state wants money (more tickets). The increase in fatalities is because of the economy. The economy is also fueling the increase in tickets for DUI’s. I say fatalities because people drink more in one sitting because of the economy. The truth is that alcohol distorts your decision in the first place to drive. If our government really cared they would give out devices to every GA driver to tell them their blood alcohol level, but that would be crazy – a cost to save lives and the state of GA (already in dept) will lose money. This is me giving you the finger GA.
So the economy makes people drink and drive. Take responsibility for your actions, be smart, have a plan. Stop blaming others. You don’t like the cost or think it’s unfair, it’s unfair when you kill someone because you descide to drive. Should we blame the econmy when inocent people die? I’m sure that’s what you will do when someone you care about get killed. Good job on your reply. This is me telling you to keep your comments to yourself.
Drunk & Driving is the one of the biggest cause of teen deaths, by taking consideration of those fact i would clearly suggest to improve the fines & sentences days depending upon the seriousness of crashes.
DUI’s are horrible for everyone involved, and as stated above the costs are astronomical. Even when you pay all of the fees and go through the courses, the DUI will still be on your record. We all have low points in life and do things we immediately regret, but the best way to prevent this massive burden is to drink responsibly.