If you are convicted of a drink driving offence it could cost you up to £70,000, according to road safety charity IAM Roadsmart.
Following conviction, you could receive a fine, the level of which now has no maximum limit. The charity IAM Roadsmart maintains that you could spend an average of £11,000 on legal fees if convicted after a not guilty plea.
You can expect for your insurance premiums to typically increase by £13,500 over the 5-year period that you are required to tell your insurers of the conviction.
During a ban, you can also expect to rack up £2,000 in taxi or public transportation bills while you are unable to drive. In addition, a loss in earnings of £38,500 over 15 months is possible based on the average UK salary, and unemployment following a conviction.
You should also consider the risk of injury to yourself and others.
The Department of Transport’s statistics for 2018 show that there were 240 fatal drink driving related incidents, with a total number of 8,680 casualties.
Beware the morning after!
In 2018, almost 39% of roadside breath tests took place the morning after the night the suspect had allegedly been drinking, between the hours of 7am and 1pm.
Roads minister Baroness Vere commented: “Drink driving kills, so during the festive season don’t be tempted to have a drink before getting behind the wheel – it’s irresponsible and incredibly dangerous.”
You should always ensure you are safe to drive before doing so the morning after an evening spent drinking alcohol:
The £70,000 impact of being convicted of drink-driving is very sobering. This should be more than enough – let alone the thought of causing any other suffering for yourself, your family or the other people you put at risk on the road – to stop those drivers who are tempted to have an extra drink and get behind the wheel.
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM Roadsmart
How our specialist drink driving solicitors can help you
By calling our free phone number on 0330 33 22 770 we will advise you on the likely penalty which you face, and outline any immediate defences which we are able to identify. We can help to reduce the cost of a drink driving conviction if you intend to plead guilty.
Managing Director and drink driving expert Alison Ashworth, has an outstanding record of success in defending drink driving allegations, and has won every case involving the analysis of blood or urine that she has presented to the Court; meaning that all such clients were found not guilty.