Avoid the nightmare of a DUI this holiday season

As a community, we all support law enforcement efforts to protect us from theft, burglary, assault and terrorism. Yet many otherwise law-abiding citizens continue to view impaired driving as merely a harmless traffic offense. Don't be fooled. Impaired driving is one of the most frequently committed crimes, killing someone in the United States every 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, this statistic often spikes during the December holiday season. With commitments to family dinners, company parties and social celebrations, many people drive after drinking alcohol during this season. Alcohol and driving are a deadly combination, especially when the roads are full of distracted drivers rushing to the malls or holiday parties. According to NHTSA, between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day in 2004, 38 percent of all fatal crashes were alcohol-related. Although, staying sober while driving is always important, the added number of travelers makes impaired driving even more dangerous during the holidays.

If the high risk of death and injury is not enough to prevent people from driving while intoxicated, the actual monetary costs they could incur should convince them. After a DUI conviction, there likely will be little budget left over for holiday gifts. If a person is arrested and charged with driving under the influence, attorney costs can range from $1,500 in a small town to more than $25,000 for a high-profile DUI attorney in a large city. On average, someone arrested for DUI can expect to pay between $5,000 and $8,000 in attorney fees, excluding trial costs. On top of the attorney's fees, other fees can include increases in insurance premiums, fines, lost time at work, car towing and impound fees, mandatory counseling programs and license reinstatement, which can total more than $8,000. All in all, a DUI arrest could cost $13,000 or more. To put the costs in perspective, you could buy more than 6,300 gallons of gas, a 2007 Ford Ranger pickup truck or pay for 260 $50 cab rides.

Unfortunately, the state and its taxpayers also have to pay to keep drunk drivers off the streets. Although many believe the majority of the costs for an alcohol-related arrest or vehicle crash are paid by the person who is driving under the influence, it is not always the case. In Florida, alcohol-related crashes cost the public an estimated $7.8 billion in 2000, according to NHTSA. In addition, the average alcohol-related fatality costs $3.4 million and each injured survivor costs an average of $99,000 to Florida taxpayers.

These personal costs and the overall costs to Florida citizens are staggering, especially when you realize how easily the pain, suffering and economic losses could have been prevented. Drunk driving is one of the costliest crimes to Florida and one of the easiest to avoid. This holiday season, avoid driving under the influence. Not only will you save money that could be spent on gifts, you may also save lives.