We are fighters
who will do everything we can to protect your rights and your future.

The attorneys of Daniels & Rothman, P.C.
  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. DUI
  4.  » A DWI conviction has long-term consequences

A DWI conviction has long-term consequences

| Jun 23, 2016 | DUI |

To be young is to be carefree, and part of the follies of youth means making mistakes. However, when those mistakes include an arrest for driving while intoxicated, the consequences can be far-reaching and serious.

There are possible immediate repercussions for a DWI conviction, which may include fines, jail time, the installation of an ignition interlock device on your vehicle and/or the suspension or revocation of your driving privileges. All of those are negative and burdensome and should be avoided at all costs.

However, there are also other less immediately obvious, yet still long-term, consequences of having a conviction for DWI on your record. The first involves potential employment opportunities. Having a DWI conviction can prevent your employment in many fields. Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals may not be able to be licensed, and if they already are licensed, may have their professional licenses suspended or revoked.

The same is true for those in the legal and transportation fields. Even those peripherally involved, such as conductors on trains, cannot have DWIs on their records and work in the industry. Your employer can dismiss you or force you to enroll in an in-patient substance abuse rehabilitation program in order to continue working.

If you want to be a teacher, you may be ineligible for a teaching certificate if you have even a single DWI conviction on an otherwise unblemished record. Some universities will not admit students who have any type of criminal conviction in their background, so your educational plans could also be derailed by your DWI.

There is also the matter of the huge increase in auto insurance premiums you will have to pay for a number of years after a DWI. Many of the better insurance carriers will not carry high risk drivers with DWI convictions, forcing you to find coverage with second- or third-tier companies that charge higher rates for minimal coverage.

If you are charged with DWI, you should immediately launch an aggressive defense to challenge the allegations against you.

Source: lifesaver.com, “The Long-Term Effects of a DUI,” accessed June 23, 2016

Archives