A Drink Driving Conviction Could Cost You £70,000
A road safety charity is warning drivers that the full cost of a drinking driving conviction could be as high as £70,000…
The Cost of Drink-Driving
IAM RoadSmart, a road safety charity, is warning drivers of the true cost of a drink driving conviction. It’s calculated that, when all associated costs are taken into account, offenders could be left £70,000 out of pocket. Contributing expenses include, loss of earnings, alternative transport costs, increased insurance premiums and eye-watering fines. Most fines reach around £5,000, although there’s no longer a fixed limit.
Legal fees can also exceed £10,000 if, after a ‘not guilty plea’, a person is convicted. Car insurance premiums, on average, also exceed £13,500 over the course of five years after an offence; drivers are required to report drink driving convictions for five years. Loss of earnings was found to amount to around £38,500 if unemployment follows a conviction. Moreover, taxi or public transport costs can reach up to £2,000 whilst a person is without a car.
Vulnerable at Christmas
Drink driving cases tend to surge in December, as an increasing number of people take to parties and social functions. In fact, the month of December typically accounts for around 20% of all drink-driving cases in a given year. Police forces are aware of this, and so they place additional emphasis on catching offenders. Crucially, around a fifth of of drink-driving convictions, and a third of roadside tests, actually take place the day after the culprit was drinking; typically between 7am and 1pm; meaning that thousands of offenders are above the limit when imagining themselves to be sober.
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM Roadsmart, has emphasised the impact a conviction can have on a person’s life and livelihood. He said, “drink driving wrecks lives and is totally unacceptable in any circumstance. However, some people still think they are safe to drive when they’ve had just a couple of drinks or are using home measures, which can quickly push them over the limit”. He continued, “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”.
Millions Of Drivers Skipping Festive Journeys This Christmas – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/millions-of-drivers-skipping-festive-journeys-this-christmas/
Number Of Breath Tests Is Due To Double In December – https://www.autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/number-of-breath-tests-is-due-to-double-in-december/
