Nine years ago I wrote about drinking, driving and the holidays. In that time, I have handled quite a few car crash cases every November and December. More than a handful of these involve DUI. For example, a new client came to me and was rear ended by a guy who was drunk. Sadly, this was not the first driving under the influence and causing a car crash. In fact, the officer who arrested him had previously arrested him for DUI.
Today, I heard this on the radio and had to pass it on. Every 15 minutes is a great program to educate young people against driving under the influence. For the rest of you, here are a few reasons not to:
- You are probably going to kill or injure someone. By probably, I mean there is a really good chance of it happening!
- You will get caught at some point in time. It is a matter of when, not it;
- You are probably going to kill or injure someone. Did I mention this yet?;
- Ever try to get insurance with a DUI – it is not easy or cheap. Add in lawyer fees, court costs and other expenses and it is crazy expensive;
- You are probably going to kill or injure someone. I think you may have heard this from me;
- If 1, 3 or 5 happen, it will cost you. If you have insurance, your insurance company will pay more money if someone is injured than if you were sober. If you do not have insurance, you will pay more money. When I handle personal injury claims, if someone is injured by a drunk driver, the case is worth more money. If you are drunk, you can be personally sued for punitive damages. These are not covered by insurance and you generally cannot file bankruptcy to make these damages go away;
- See 1, 3 and 5.
I hope you are all safe over the next few weeks. Please make sure you do not drink and drive. If you are with someone who has had something to drink, please make sure that they do not drink and drive as well. Be safe!