Grasping the severity of a conviction for driving under the influence

Being arrested for driving under the influence is only the beginning. If you end up with a conviction, life may never be quite the same again. As any of the Toronto DUI attorneys can confirm, the repercussions from having a conviction on your record can impact your life for a long time. Here are some of the things that will happen.

Convictions Are Expensive

If you think that all the conviction will trigger is paying a modest fine, think again. The fines are sufficient to act as a deterrent for repeating the same mistake. If you’ve already been down this road once, the fine will be higher. When you consider the fines imposed by the court as well as having to find alternative transport while your driving privileges are suspended, the cost of being convicted begins to mount up quickly.

They Also Mean Changes to Your Ability to Secure Insurance

You can bet that your insurance provider will take notice if a conviction comes to pass. Some providers may cancel the present coverage or possibly refuse to renew it when the current term is up. That leaves you at the mercy of other auto insurance providers who are willing to extend coverage to high-risk drivers. You’ll pay a lot more and may not be able to enjoy the same level of coverage.

Convictions Also Impact Your Career

You can bet that drinking and driving consequences have the potential to affect your prospects for advancing in your career. You may be able to hold onto your current position without any issues, but the possibility of being promoted will be seriously hampered. That means you could end up in the same position for the rest of your working life.

That’s good news compared to what could happen if your employer went out of business. Anyone who is thinking about hiring you is sure to conduct background checks. If the job responsibilities involve access to confidential information, you may be passed over in favor of a candidate with similar skills and no criminal record.

And Possibly Your Social Life

How could a conviction affect your social life? In the short-term, getting around will be more difficult. That’s because your driving privileges are suspending. For a time, you’ll need to plan all trips ahead so they match with bus schedules or line up with the availability of ride shares. You can bet that all these options will affect the ability to date.

When it comes to dating, it’s not unusual for people to research others before accepting an invitation to dinner, a movie, or any other type of social event. Depending on how comprehensive that research happens to be, your DUI conviction could show up in more than one place. That may be all it takes for some people to politely decline your offer of a date.

The bottom line is that there are all sorts of consequences associated with a DUI conviction. If it’s too late to avoid an arrest, now is the time to hire a lawyer and see what can be done about mounting a defence. In the best case-scenario, you can minimize the fallout and end up dealing with fewer consequences.