A DWI Conviction Could Cost You
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Cost to Tow Your Car
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$132.89
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Car Storage Fee Per Day
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$16.25
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Average Fine
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$500.00
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Community Service Hours (at Min.
wage)
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$309.00
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Probation Fees
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$1,488.00
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License Reinstatement Fee
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$125.00
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Add These
Probable Additional Costs
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Alcohol Education Classes
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$135.00
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Auto Insurance Increase
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varies *
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Minimum DWI Surcharge
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$3,000.00
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I've found that most people have a serious misconception about the cost of
their DWI.
They believe that pleading guilty is going to save them money over the
cost of hiring an attorney and fighting the charge.
Better think again.
This is a table showing the costs of a DWI conviction here in Texas.
As you can see, the average cost for just pleading guilty is at least $5,206.14,
not including your attorney fees, or how much your insurance company will
surcharge you. That could be an additional $1,000.00 or more a year for three
years.
In addition, you need to seriously keep possible jail time in mind. For a
first offense, you probably won't get any jail time. But if you ever get
arrested and convicted for a 2nd DWI offense, you're looking at mandatory
jail time of 3 to 30 days.
Not too pleasant a picture, is it?
On the other hand, if you fight and are successful in keeping a DWI
conviction off your record, you can avoid these charges, plus the raise in
your insurance rates.
So let me ask you quite simply . . . can you afford not to fight the
charge?
Because, you see, even without attorney costs, you're still looking at up
to a minimum of $5,206.14 in non-attorney costs. And you'll always have the
DWI conviction on your record. And this could seriously hurt you now and in
the future, as I've already touched upon at this link.
* does not include the gouging you will get from your insurance company
when it is time to renew your policy.
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