Examining the true cost of a New York DWI

When New York authorities charge you with driving while intoxicated, you may face hefty penalties if that charge ends with a conviction. While some of those penalties coming your way are criminal, others are financial, and you should expect to have to shell out a considerable sum to cover them all.

How much might your first-time DWI conviction cost you after factoring in related costs?

Determining factors

How much a DWI conviction costs you depends on where you live, whether anyone suffered injuries before your arrest and so on. However, BacTrack.com reports that the average first-time DWI recipient in New York pays, at minimum, about $9,500 following a DWI conviction. How do those drunk driving-related expenses break down?

DWI-related expenses

After your arrest, authorities typically place you in jail and impound your car. Plan to pay bail fees, which may run you between about $150 and $2,500, and impound and towing fees, which may cost up to $1,200.

Court costs relating to your DWI case may run you as much as $1,800 before factoring in expenses for legal representation. You may also have to pay jail fees, which may cost you as much as $380. You may also have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle, and this may run you between about $500 and $1,500 once you factor in installation, maintenance and other related expenses.

Another major expense you should anticipate after a drunk driving conviction is an increase in auto insurance. In some cases, your current provider may drop you after a DWI. If it does not, it may raise your rates substantially because it sees you as more of a liability once you have that drunk driving offense on your record.

While $9,500 is the minimum of what you should expect to pay after a first-time drunk driving conviction, associated expenditures may run you as much as about $27,000.