A traffic stop that results in your arrest for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) will burden you with considerable and ongoing expenses. The exact figure that the incident costs you varies depending on the circumstances. Your number of previous DUI offenses and the amount of alcohol or controlled substances detected in your system influence fines and other penalties. People whose arrest came after a DUI-related motor vehicle crash may also need to hire Nevada personal injury attorneys.

Judicial Look-Back Period
The court processing your DUI will examine the past seven years of your driving record. If it contains one or more previous DUI convictions, your penalties, and costs will increase. You could also be at a higher risk of being charged as a felon, and this is especially likely if you crashed and injured people while allegedly intoxicated.

First-Offense DUI Expenses in Nevada
Most DUI first offenses are charged as misdemeanors. Without including the cost of hiring a criminal defense or Nevada injury lawyer, you can expect to pay:

• Chemical testing fee $60
• Fine between $400 and $1,000
• Court-ordered DUI school for approximately $150
• Reinstatement of driver’s license fee of $120
• Victim Impact fee $35

Assuming minimum costs without additional court-ordered actions, your first-offense DUI would cost at least $765.

Sometimes as a condition of obtaining a restricted license, you may have to install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) on your vehicle. According to one company that installs and monitors IIDs, average costs are $70 to $150 for installation and then $60 to $90 a month thereafter.

Your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) determines how long you will have to pay for an IID. Convictions for a BAC under 0.18% can impose 185 days of IID use. Any BAC recorded at or above 0.18% raises the IID period to one year and perhaps as long as three years.

In some cases, you might choose to attend an alcohol or drug treatment program or be required to. People under age 21 found to have a BAC above 0.18% must undergo a substance abuse evaluation for $100.

People of legal drinking age may work out a deal with the court to attend a substance abuse program to avoid jail time. To qualify for this option, a professional must diagnose you with a substance abuse disorder. You will pay out of pocket for the program, which could potentially cost thousands of dollars.

Being sentenced to jail for a first offense is possible, and sentencing guidelines authorize two to 60 days in jail. With the court’s approval, community service could replace jail time.

Second-Offense DUI Expenses in Nevada

If seven years have not passed since your previous conviction, the criminal justice system will deem your DUI a second offense. Fines are higher for a second offense and begin at $750 instead of $400 for a first offense.

If you have to install an IID, your costs will double because you will have to pay for it for one year. IIDs are only needed for 185 days after a first offense unless you had a high BAC.

Many of the other costs will be similar to a first offense, such as the chemical test and license reinstatement fees.

Just like the fine, recommended jail time increases for a second-offense DUI. You’ll face a mandatory ten days in jail or home confinement, and a judge could sentence you to a full 180 days in jail.

Even a small amount of jail time imposes significant financial costs due to missed work or the threat of job loss. Although court fees and fines are largely unavoidable if you are convicted, the expense of hiring a lawyer could spare you from more serious financial difficulties caused by being sent to jail.

Third-Offense DUI Expenses in Nevada

At this point, your repeat offender status means that fines start at $2,000 and could be higher. You may have to pay for an IID for three years, which adds thousands of dollars to the total bill. Prison time of one to six years becomes possible.

DUI Involving an Accident Causing Serious Bodily Injury or Death
A DUI-related crash that results in someone getting badly hurt or killed could force the criminal justice system to regard your case as a felony. A lengthy prison sentence becomes possible on top of paying high fines and other fees.

The need to prepare a strong legal defense will be urgent as well. You may want a car accident lawyer in Nevada to represent you in some or all aspects of your legal case. Injury attorneys in Nevada possess detailed knowledge of how liability is determined. The insights of a Nevada injury lawyer could improve your defense strategy and reduce negative outcomes.

Although your primary concern will be avoiding or reducing prison time, the injury victims may also take civil action against you and your insurer. A car accident lawyer in Nevada has the knowledge to manage the civil aspect of your DUI case.

The same skills that injury attorneys in Nevada use to help injured people acquire compensation can be applied to defending you from demands for unreasonable amounts of damages. If you have personal resources beyond your insurance coverage, you could be at risk of losing a lawsuit if your intoxicated driving seriously injured or killed someone.

Highly Rated Nevada Personal Injury Attorneys

 

Immediate legal assistance is available from Moss Berg Injury Lawyers for people accused of DUI. We can respond rapidly and secure your release from jail after the arrest. If someone has been injured, our involvement from the earliest stages of the accident investigation could have a positive impact on the final outcome of your criminal case and a subsequent civil lawsuit that may be filed against you.

Prosecution for a DUI-related accident is a serious matter that could potentially bankrupt you. Court fees and fines easily reach into the thousands, but a lawsuit could strip you of personal assets. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer in Nevada is in a position to fight for the insurance coverage that you have paid for and defend you in civil court if need be.

Although intoxication works against you legally, it does not always mean you are entirely at fault for a car accident. During a confidential free consultation, talk to us about your concerns after a DUI arrest. Contact Moss Berg today.