The impact of being charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) spans more than just appearing in court and paying penalties. There are implications to a DUI or a DWI charge that could change the way you live your life. For one, your driving privileges will be suppressed for a particular period. You will have to rely on family and friends to drive you around or take public transportation to go about your daily routine. The financial obligations that you will have to face will be no joke as well. You can expect to spend anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 for various charges including but not limited to legal fees, fines, and penalties. You will also more likely to be required to secure an auto insurance coverage that has higher limits before you are allowed back out into the streets. This would definitely bring up your insurance costs.

A DUI or a DWI charge is guaranteed to bring your motor vehicle driving points up. The higher your motor vehicle driving points are, the more additional requirements the state motor vehicle department will require of you in order to give you back your driving privileges. Such driving points indicate your fitness to operate your vehicle and would determine whether you are in need of more driving instruction. Your DUI auto insurance premiums will likewise increase when you are slapped with a DUI or a DWI charge. The cost of insuring you and your car will dramatically increase as the liability limits required by the state would also be higher for DUI offenders. Drunk drivers are considered to be really dangerous drivers. The accidents that they cause are among the most serious and the ones that require the most amount of money to repair or treat. More deaths are caused by accidents caused by drunk drivers than by any other accidents.

To get a DUI auto insurance, a released offender would have to submit future proof of financial responsibility as part of the state's insurance requirments. The SR-22 form that contains the pertinent driver information satisfying this requirement would have to be transmitted by the DUI auto insurance company to the state's department of motor vehicle. Failure to submit such future proof of financial responsibility will cause a person with a DUI conviction to lose his driving privileges again. Such a form would indicate that the person has actually taken out additional liability insurance as mandated by the state from the particular auto insurance company. Higher liability limits are required of DUI offenders owing to the higher expenses projected on potential accidents. Liability for personal bodily injury could go as high as $100,000 for one person alone. Property damage limits, on the other hand, could go as high as $50,000. These higher limits would bring the auto insurance premiums for DUI offenders up to as much as $2,000 to $3,000 per year.

To avoid having to bear all these expenses, the solution is clear and simple – Do not drink and drive! There is absolutely no reason why anyone who is drunk or is intoxicated should be allowed to go behind the wheel. Not only is he endangering his own life and safety, he is also posing a threat to other innocent lives.