What costs can follow a DUI charge?

My friend a few years ago got a DUI. I can remember him calculating the cost of the night he got arrested for impaired driving. He determined that the cost for his impaired driving was a couple hundred dollars for a fine for driving under the influence and a couple of years for the license to be revoked for driving while impaired. He said he was back to normal in a month or so, and in a way he was. The cost of that night would continue to add up for another two years.

The costs of a DUI charge are more than just the fine of the offense. First, the fine of the offense is not the total cost of the offense. In fact, the fine of a first offense for impaired driving in Canada is just the beginning of the financial costs of a long chain of expenses that will continue to add up for years to come.

The immediate hit: fines and legal fees

In the initial time after being charged for a DUI offense the largest cost will typically occur within the first time after being charged for the offense. For example, for an impaired driving offense in Canada the minimum fine for a first time offense in typically a few hundred dollars and greatly increases with a high blood alcohol concentration reading. This fine is mandated by law and is always required for impaired driving offenses in Canada. In addition to the fine for the offense for a DUI there are also the legal fees for representation. As previously stated most people believe that they can represent themselves in a DUI case, but this is not true. In most cases a person who is representing themselves can receive harsher then normal penalties then a person who is being represented by a qualified DUI attorney. For a single DUI offense in Canada the legal fees can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 or more. These costs are obviously very large, but in comparison to the potential penalties that a person can receive for a DUI offense these costs are minor.

In addition to the fine A good DUI defense attorney can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 or more in Canada. Yes, that is a lot of money but in the end it could save you a lot of trouble in the form of a suspension of your license and/or imprisonment for an extended period of time. A very inexperienced DUI defense attorney could actually end up costing you a lot more in the long run than the few thousand dollars that it would have cost you to have hired a good DUI defense attorney in the first place.

Administrative / Court / other charges. Such costs can at first appear to be minimal; but, in the long run, these can add up fast.

The part most people underestimate: insurance

After your DUI conviction your insurance rates will increase dramatically. In some cases your annual insurance rates will even triple or quadruple in cost for a period of 3 to 5 years. This will mean that you will have to pay thousands of dollars each year for many years to come in order to be insured with a company. These increased rates will be based on the risks that you have taken by driving under the influence of alcohol.

Some people will lose their jobs during their trial, while others will have their contracts not renewed. Then there are the people who manage to hold on to their jobs, but for years miss out on opportunities for promotion. It is difficult to calculate a specific amount for lost opportunity, but for many it will be a very real consequence of having a DUI charge.

Here’s a great breakdown of how much a DUI actually costs in Canada.

Licence reinstatement and ignition interlock

License Reinstatement and Interlock Expenses – the Aftermath of a DUI Suspension

• Licence reinstatement fees, which vary by province but are rarely trivial
• Ignition interlock device installation and monthly rental, typically required for a period after reinstatement
• Mandatory education or treatment programs that some provinces require before reinstatement is even considered
• Regular calibration and monitoring fees for the interlock device throughout the program period

For 12-18 months you will be paying $100-200 per month for interlock service. This will mean regular service appointments and the occasional need for interlock repairs or replacement of the ignition lock cable (should it fail).

More consequences for a DUI in Canada.

Additionally, a conviction for impaired driving can cause a loss of employment. Impaired driving convictions are reported on background checks for all individuals and as a result, professional licenses to practice can be affected by a DUI conviction. Furthermore, a person’s employment can be affected by a DUI conviction in ways that are not always immediately apparent, for example a person’s employment could be affected by a failure to receive a promotion, or by a failure to have a contract renewed.

For people who frequently travel to the States for work or other reasons, a DUI can result in Travel Restrictions to the US. In many cases a written waiver is required for these restrictions, and these forms can be lengthy, time-consuming, and very expensive. In some cases, the waiver may not be granted at all, and it can be granted after a long period of time.

A rough cost comparison by category

While each impaired driving case can be quite unique, the majority of the impaired driving costs outlined above can be expected to apply across each of the provinces in Canada, with a few slight variations with respect to the rules of each. For the most part, though, the above listed costs should ring true for the vast majority of impaired driving cases in Canada. In those rare instances, though, where costs do happen to exceed the above sums, they can really start to add up.

We Are Here to Help.

As I alluded to above, it’s also very important to remember that the fine for an impaired driving offense in Canada is the least of your financial problems in relation to your DUI offense. Your friend earlier assumed that the fine for an impaired driving offense in Canada was in the range of several thousand dollars for a first time offense. However, in Canada the fine for an impaired driving offense is set by the individual province and can involve a number of penalties including mandatory minimums. In most cases the fine for an impaired driving offense is in the hundreds of dollars for a first time offense, often increasing for subsequent offenses. As such, the fine for an impaired driving offense is more of a floor than a ceiling, and in most cases the fine is just the beginning of the financial consequences of an impaired driving offense that can have in relation to your DUI offense that can last for years.

I want to make it clear that the intention of this piece is not to deter people from learning about the costs of a DUI offense, and how best to prepare for the various stages of the process. By having a good understanding of the possible costs, a person can better prepare for the increased expenses that will occur as a result of the conviction. For example, having the best DUI defense possible, knowing the interlock requirements of your province prior to the suspension of your license, and how your insurance rates will increase as a result of the DUI offense, and for how long, can help you to better prepare a budget for the increased expenses after the suspension of your license has been lifted.

Ignorance here isn’t just uncomfortable. It’s expensive.