Consequences of Drunk Driving

The consequences of drunk driving range from the criminally and financially painful to the absolutely tragic when lives are utter ruined.

Drunk driving is the act of driving while impaired after drinking alcohol. The level of alcohol as a percentage of your blood is used as a definitive measuring stick, but it is not the only way you can be prosecuted for drunk driving. The key is whether you are impaired by the alcohol you consume regardless of the amount. With impairment come the consequences of drunk driving.

If you get lucky, the consequences of drunk driving will be nothing. There are a certain number of people that drive drunk and get away with it. That being said, the emphasis for law enforcement is both to identify and prosecute drunk drivers. Sooner or later, you are going to get caught and any belief you won’t is just misplaced.

So, what if you do get pulled over? Every state has its own guidelines. Most of them are brutal. At a minimum, you are going to be fined severely and lose your license for 6 months to a year or more. In the vast majority of states, you are also going to do jail time ranging from a month to a year. This is not jail time in some plush jail. You’ll be in with violent criminals and the entire lot. As if jail isn’t bad enough, you are probably going to lose your job and have a hard time getting another one. After all, how are you going to explain you were in jail for a year?

Now things get worse. Let’s say a police officer doesn’t stop you. Instead, you get into an accident that causes damage to another vehicle. You are going to face all the consequences of drunk driving. In most states, you are also going to automatically be assumed to be the person responsible for the accident unless you can clearly show that you were not. While facing jail time, you are also going to face a lawsuit by the other party seeking all your assets. Basically, this is going to ruin you life.

Finally, we have the worst case scenario. You drive drunk and get in a wreck. Somebody in the accident dies. The consequences of this form of drunk driving are deservedly brutal. In most states, you are going to be charged with involuntary manslaughter. In others, the charge will be murder. Yes, the big “M”. You are probably going to end up pleading to a jail sentence of five to seven years or more. On top of this, you’ll have to live with the fact you killed someone. Being drunk hardly excuses that.

The consequences of drunk driving are severe. At a minimum, you are going to do great damage to your life. In a worst case scenario, you are going to kill others and spend a chunk of your life in jail. Is either of these scenarios worth that drink? How about the cost of a cab ride?

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