Assuming you survive a DUI without doing major harm to yourself or someone else, be prepared for it to cost you plenty in more ways than one. To start with, you\u2019ll be looking at bail, legal fees, fines, and the possible loss of driving privileges.<\/p>\n
Whether your state calls it a DUI, driving under the influence, or a DWI, driving while intoxicated, you\u2019re busted either way for driving while impaired\u2026 and, it comes with a heavy price. The effect on your car insurance<\/a> rates will be the least of your worries, but your insurance company views a DUI as probably one of the worst infractions you can spring on them, short of injuring someone severely or fatally after having one more for the road.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re pulled over for drunk driving, you\u2019re not alone \u2013 FBI statistics show that nearly 1.3 million people were arrested in the U.S. for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2012. Here\u2019s another fact for you – if you’re convicted of a drunk driving offense, your car insurance rates are absolutely going to go up. The question is – how much? For that, your insurance carrier will consider several factors, none of which you\u2018re in control of \u2013 you already gave up by getting arrested for one too many behind the wheel.<\/p>\n Your age will be considered as one of the many factors your insurance company uses to determine the size of the increase in your rates. Because young drivers are more accident-prone and account for a substantial percentage of all car crashes, get ready for the hammer to come down on you if you fit into this category.<\/p>\n Your driving history is also an important factor in setting your new rate. A recent DUI mixed in with a past accident may be tough to get around. Of course, this depends on the state you reside in, as each state has a different set of rules that dictate the amount insurers are permitted to charge drivers. Now that you\u2019re labeled as a high-risk driver, where you live may also influence your rates. Urban neighborhoods with more high-speed highways could indicate the added risk of a future accident following a DUI conviction.<\/p>\n Legal costs vary between states. Check out the penalties if you happen to live in South Carolina, for example.<\/p>\n In South Carolina, judges are now required to impose a mandatory minimum sentence for even first time offenders. South Carolina law also now requires both first time and subsequent offenders to complete a substance abuse counseling program (may cost up to $2,500) as part of their sentence.<\/p>\n Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 to .09% BAC of .1 to .15%<\/strong> BAC of .16% or higher<\/strong> BAC of .1 to .15%<\/strong> BAC of .16% or higher<\/strong> So the lesson here is obvious \u2013 don\u2019t drink and drive in the first place. But, if you are arrested for a DUI, understand that even if you have car insurance, your current insurer may decide to drop you. However, if this happens, don\u2019t give up hope. Shop around to find a company that specializes in hard-to-insure drivers. Why not get a free auto insurance quote<\/a> today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Assuming you survive a DUI without doing major harm to yourself or someone else, be prepared for it to cost you plenty in more ways than one. To start with, you\u2019ll be looking at bail, legal fees, fines, and the possible loss of driving privileges. Whether your state calls it a DUI, driving under the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22360,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[320],"tags":[],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22358"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22358"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=22358"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=22358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Legal costs in South Carolina<\/h2>\n
South Carolina First DUI Offense<\/h3>\n
\n\u2022 Up to 30 days in jail or 48 hours of community service
\n\u2022 $400 fine<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Up to 30 days in jail or 72 hours of community service
\n\u2022 $500 fine<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 30 to 60 days in jail or 30 days of community service
\n\u2022 $1,000 fine
\nSubsequent DUI Offenses
\nIn addition to the following penalties, second and subsequent DUI offenders also may be required to surrender the registration and license plates of any vehicles they own.
\nBAC of .08 to .09%<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Mandatory minimum 5 days in jail and may receive up to 1 year in jail.
\n\u2022 Fines range between $2,100 to $5,100.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Mandatory minimum 30 day jail sentence and may be sentenced up to 2 years in jail.
\n\u2022 Fines range between $2,500 to $5,500.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Mandatory minimum 90 days in jail and may be sentenced up to 3 years.
\n\u2022 Fines range between $3,500 and $6,500.<\/p>\n