donsrods
Well-known member
This might be a little lengthy, but I hope it helps just one person out. I have a lady friend who got a DUI in about June. She did what probably 90% of us have done, she went out to dinner with a couple of friends, had a couple of beers, and drove home. On the way a car bumped into her at a light, and the cops came. She blew just above the .08 limit, but was arrested for DUI. She spent the night in jail, posted bond, and got out the next morning.
So far it has cost her about $ 10,000.00 and she isn't done yet. She had to hire an Attorney...........$ 4500.00. (She was facing 6 months in jail, so she hired one to try to keep that from happening) She plead guilty, and was fined $ 1000, ordered to take 18 DUI classes ($45 each time), had to go for monthly alcohol and drug swabs ( $ 55 each time) do 50 hours of Community Service, or pay $ 10 per hour to buy out of it......she is paying the $ 500 option.
They also ordered her car to be fitted with a device that you have to blow in and hum into to get the car started. It cost her about $ 200 to have it put on, and another $ 80 each month to have it checked out, for the next 6 months. Now here is the kicker.........she is a smoker, and can't blow enough air long enough to start the car. So I have volunteered to haul her around for the next 6 months for Probation Meetings, groceries, Doctor visits, etc. She is a good friend, and a nice lady, so I don't mind, and I am retired so I have the time.
Now let me tell you about the device you have to blow into. It plugs into a harness they install, and to start the car you have to blow hard and hum at the same time for 5 seconds. I don't smoke, and it is even hard for me to do. If you are sucessful you can now start the car. HOWEVER, 3 minutes later an alarm goes off and you have a minute or so to reblow and hum to keep the car running!!!!!! Then, every 20 minutes after that the same thing happens, and you have to reblow. IT IS A REAL PAIN TO DO!!! I take her car to the place where they recertify it once a month, and I hate driving it.........here I am, at redlights, huffing and humming to keep the d*** car running. If you fail to blow enough, you lock up the system and have to wait one hour before retrying. And if you have used mouthwash, or even eaten some fruits or chocolate candy, it may set off the system so the car won't start.
Next, we had to take her to get a hardship drivers license. She had to go 3 times, the first one got taken away when she went to court. She reapplied and go the second one. That one was taken away because she had to have a new one done that has "MUST USE BREATHALIZER" printed on it. I think she laid out something like $ 600 for all these licenses. Every time I take her to one of the places she has to go she is writing check after check to pay the penalties.
Allstate Insurance cancelled her also. She has been with them for many years and never had one claim, or even a parking ticket, but they automatically cancel you with one DUI. She has had to apply for Risk Insurance that will cost her an arm and a leg, PLUS, the insurance companies add a fine on top of the high insurance rate just because you have a DUI.
Her Probation ends in May, and this has basically ruined her life. She lost her job because she had to take so much time off to go to meetings and court ordered testing. She had to take early retirement, as she can't even drive to find a new job.
Now, I know some will say drunks should be taken off the road........and I agree 100%. But what we are talking about here is something most of you, and me, have done on lots of occasions. We go to dinner and have a beer or two, or we go out with some friends and have a couple. This lady has never been in any trouble in her life, and is in her 60's. The system treats her like a criminal though, and it has cost her dearly. I don't really drink much at all, if I have one or two beers a week it is alot. My Sons wonder why when we go out I have maybe one beer and then switch to Club Soda or something like that. MADD has put so much pressure on the authorities they are working toward zero tolerance......even a .01 may be considered illegal in the future.
Sorry for the long post, but I never knew how much they put a person through until this happened to her. If I can save any of you the same fate, it will be worth it.
Don
So far it has cost her about $ 10,000.00 and she isn't done yet. She had to hire an Attorney...........$ 4500.00. (She was facing 6 months in jail, so she hired one to try to keep that from happening) She plead guilty, and was fined $ 1000, ordered to take 18 DUI classes ($45 each time), had to go for monthly alcohol and drug swabs ( $ 55 each time) do 50 hours of Community Service, or pay $ 10 per hour to buy out of it......she is paying the $ 500 option.
They also ordered her car to be fitted with a device that you have to blow in and hum into to get the car started. It cost her about $ 200 to have it put on, and another $ 80 each month to have it checked out, for the next 6 months. Now here is the kicker.........she is a smoker, and can't blow enough air long enough to start the car. So I have volunteered to haul her around for the next 6 months for Probation Meetings, groceries, Doctor visits, etc. She is a good friend, and a nice lady, so I don't mind, and I am retired so I have the time.
Now let me tell you about the device you have to blow into. It plugs into a harness they install, and to start the car you have to blow hard and hum at the same time for 5 seconds. I don't smoke, and it is even hard for me to do. If you are sucessful you can now start the car. HOWEVER, 3 minutes later an alarm goes off and you have a minute or so to reblow and hum to keep the car running!!!!!! Then, every 20 minutes after that the same thing happens, and you have to reblow. IT IS A REAL PAIN TO DO!!! I take her car to the place where they recertify it once a month, and I hate driving it.........here I am, at redlights, huffing and humming to keep the d*** car running. If you fail to blow enough, you lock up the system and have to wait one hour before retrying. And if you have used mouthwash, or even eaten some fruits or chocolate candy, it may set off the system so the car won't start.
Next, we had to take her to get a hardship drivers license. She had to go 3 times, the first one got taken away when she went to court. She reapplied and go the second one. That one was taken away because she had to have a new one done that has "MUST USE BREATHALIZER" printed on it. I think she laid out something like $ 600 for all these licenses. Every time I take her to one of the places she has to go she is writing check after check to pay the penalties.
Allstate Insurance cancelled her also. She has been with them for many years and never had one claim, or even a parking ticket, but they automatically cancel you with one DUI. She has had to apply for Risk Insurance that will cost her an arm and a leg, PLUS, the insurance companies add a fine on top of the high insurance rate just because you have a DUI.
Her Probation ends in May, and this has basically ruined her life. She lost her job because she had to take so much time off to go to meetings and court ordered testing. She had to take early retirement, as she can't even drive to find a new job.
Now, I know some will say drunks should be taken off the road........and I agree 100%. But what we are talking about here is something most of you, and me, have done on lots of occasions. We go to dinner and have a beer or two, or we go out with some friends and have a couple. This lady has never been in any trouble in her life, and is in her 60's. The system treats her like a criminal though, and it has cost her dearly. I don't really drink much at all, if I have one or two beers a week it is alot. My Sons wonder why when we go out I have maybe one beer and then switch to Club Soda or something like that. MADD has put so much pressure on the authorities they are working toward zero tolerance......even a .01 may be considered illegal in the future.
Sorry for the long post, but I never knew how much they put a person through until this happened to her. If I can save any of you the same fate, it will be worth it.
Don
