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Real Life Consequences Of A DUI


Have you ever wondered how the effects of a DUI plea trickle down into your life? Most people understand that if you are found guilty of a DUI, you may lose your license for a period of time. Maybe some also consider that hiring an attorney can cost a lot of money for something this serious. But what happens after you are found guilty. Are there any effects on your everyday life? Or do you just continue on living life without a driver’s license for a while and that is it?

The consequences of a DUI extend much further than this. It seeps into your everyday life for a while. It affects your family and your ability to move around freely. It can even affect your livelihood. For example, imagine you have a CDL license and drive a truck for a living. You make a good salary to support your family. However, once you have a DUI on your record, it becomes a liability for an employer to have a CDL driver with a recent DUI. This means that the way you have earned a living needs to change. But what if you do not have other skills to easily obtain a new job. Future employers will also want to know about your driving record, especially if the position entails you driving a company vehicle. This can limit your ability to obtain a new job, especially once you are able to restore your driver’s license or CDL.

In New Jersey, you likely have the opportunity to install an interlock device on your vehicle in order to drive for a period of time after you are found guilty of a DUI. However, this means that you can only drive that vehicle. This means that periodically, as you are driving, you need to blow into a machine connected to your steering wheel. Maybe you were in charge of driving your kids and the neighbors kids to school. Can you imagine explaining this to the neighbor or having the children see this. 

While many things in life have an actual financial impact that cause you to outlay money up front, there are always indirect consequences to consider. We all enjoy a drink with friends when we are out. However, one of our most important responsibilities is knowing when to stop drinking. Understanding that we need to get home in some manner and knowing when we need to admit that it is not safe to drive.