The Cost of Drink Driving: Why It Pays To Plan Ahead

It’s no secret that we Australians tend to enjoy a drink on various occasions, but all too often, people get behind the wheel after drinking. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this behaviour, the consequences of 醉驾 can be disastrous. 

While the team at Essere is always available to assist you if you require specialist legal representation for drink driving offences, it’s best to prevent these situations from arising in the first instance. A range of unfavourable financial, legal and personal implications may follow this behaviour, and that’s why it’s always important to plan ahead and separate drinking from driving at all times. 

To help you understand the true cost of drink driving, we’ve illustrated the risks involved with this behaviour. 

 

The Costs of Drink Driving

When you drink and drive, you may face a whole host of consequences that can impact every facet of your life, as well as the lives of others. When you drive with a BAC over the 0.05 threshold that applies in Australia, a world of  legal, financial, and personal costs may be encountered.

Legal Costs

• License Suspension

The most immediate punishment you’ll face for drinking and driving you is the suspension of your license, as this applies to drink driving offences within all ranges, from very low novice range offences to high-range offences. Regardless of the category that your offence relates to, all drink drivers can expect to face a minimum 3-month period of license disqualification. This applies even if you are a first-time offender, and even if you have only engaged in low range drink driving. 

 

• Alcohol Interlock Programs

The drink driving penalties you may face could also include an alcohol interlock program, where you must have an interlock device installed within your car. This prevents the ignition of the car from starting until a breath test has been completed that indicates a BAC of 0. For first-time offenders, 12 and 24-month programs will be applied for mid and high-range offences respectively. However, if you’ve committed a second offence within a 5-year period, your interlock program will span between 12 and 48 months, depending on the PCA range your offence pertains to. 

• Criminal Proceedings

Drinking and driving may also see you face court proceedings which can be particularly hard to understand, and may take a toll on yourself and your family. These court proceedings can result in jail time and a criminal record, with potential prison sentences ranging from 9-24 months, depending upon the range of the offence and your drink driving history. While the team at Essere is always available to assist you in any way possible in these situations, these proceedings can still be very stressful and disruptive. 

Financial Costs

• Hefty Fines

The immediate monetary punishments you’ll face for drink driving are the fines that apply to all levels of drink driving. First-time offenders within any range of drink driving will face a maximum fine of $2,200, aside from high-range offenders that face a $3,330 maximum fine. Similarly, all subsequent offenders within a 5-year period will face a maximum fine of $3,300, or $5,500 for high-range offences. 

• Increased Insurance Premiums

Beyond the immediate financial drink driving penalties, a range of other costs can go unnoticed, and a major financial burden you may face is higher insurance premiums. Risk management and prediction are crucial to all insurance companies, and the premiums they charge reflect their assessment of risk. In their eyes, a conviction for drink driving offences makes a driver more likely to incur damages, and consequently, your monthly premiums may rise, taking a toll on your disposable income. 

• Cost of Damages

While ongoing costs may apply, drinking and driving also opens the door to a range of expensive one-time costs. Alcohol consumption vastly reduces the individual’s reaction time and judgement, and that’s why driving is a dangerous activity for those under the influence of alcohol. Traffic accidents become more common in these instances, because even a BAC reading of 0.05, the legal threshold, doubles the risk of an accident occurring. Should an accident occur, your car may be damaged and you may be injured, resulting in a range of costs related to car towing, repairs and potential hospital fees should you sustain any injuries in the process. 

Personal Costs

• Potential Loss of Employment 

While drink driving may seem firmly fixed to an individual’s personal life, these offences can have an impact on their employment. In certain occupations, a license suspension can enforce a pause in one’s career or simply make it impossible to work, and if a criminal record is established as a result of this infringement, your employment contract may be breached, resulting in a termination and loss of income. While this does paint a gloomy picture, it’s important to remember that not everyone that is found guilty of drink driving will lose their job.

• A Restrictive Lifestyle

Drink driving penalties also extend to mandatory periods of license suspension. This can make it very difficult for an individual to maintain an active social life and meet their obligations, whether work or family related. An inability to drive can seriously restrict one’s freedom, and this can have a negative impact on their mental health and happiness.

• Serious Consequences and Mental Health

Unfortunately, serious injuries and fatalities can occur, as 18-20% of fatal accidents that occur involve drink driving in NSW. The destructive potential of drinking and driving can place innocent pedestrians and fellow drivers at risk, and this can alter the lives of these individuals enormously. Inevitably, the safety of the drink drive will also be compromised, but so too is their emotional state as a result of exposure to these accidents.

The Importance of Planning Ahead

Clearly, drink driving can impose a wide range of implications on an individual, impacting all areas of their life. However, by avoiding this behaviour and separating drinking from driving, you’ll encounter a range of benefits. 

If you’re employed within the transportation industries or rely heavily upon access to a vehicle in your job, you’ll be contributing to greater job security moving forward. Furthermore, you’ll be protecting your income and ensuring your family can live a more stable and less stressful life. 

This can help prevent adverse mental health implications that can occur as a result of causing or experiencing a traumatic road accident. Similarly, court proceedings can be particularly stressful for the individual and their family. Steering clear of these events will help contribute to a happier family dynamic and will allow you to meet your family obligations and continue to enjoy your social life with ease. 

By avoiding the various drink driving penalties, you’ll also be making a sound financial decision too. While taking an Uber home from a night out may sound like an expensive option at the time, it pales in comparison to the hefty fines that apply to all levels of drink driving. 

Ultimately, the avoidance of drink driving is a wise decision that will ensure you do not face an array of legal, financial and personal consequences.