CHENANGO COUNTY – Amongst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is important for everyone to stay safe. No one wants to go through the holidays with the stress of a pending criminal charge, suffering from a severe injury, losing a loved one, or causing a loss to someone else.
We want everyone to enjoy the festivities of this season, but if you are drinking do not drive. A DWI is costly, ranging between $5,000 and $10,000 or more. This is just the out of pocket costs and does not include time off of work to meet with an attorney, to attend court appearances, and to go to mandatory classes or Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services counseling. Also, DWI and other alcohol related offenders must install an ignition interlock device on all motor vehicles they own or operate, which they are required to install and maintain which can cost $400 or more. On top of the out of pocket costs and time off of work, your license can be suspended or revoked. Additionally, New York Law allows an insurance company to sue the driver of a car which causes a motor vehicle crash due to alcohol/drug involvement for the no fault benefits (medical, rehabilitation, and lost wages) the insurance company paid.
A DWI conviction can also result in a term of imprisonment and/or probation. A person can be sentenced to a year imprisonment in the local jail or three years of probation for their first offense. All of this however is assuming there are no accidents and injuries. If there are, then in addition to the DWI, there are possible felony charges ranging from Vehicular Assault in the 2nd, which carries a minimum of one to three years, to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide which has a maximum of eight and one third to 25 years. The legal consequences however, pale in comparison to the lifetime of guilt one carries for maiming or killing another. Think before you drink and drive, is driving so important that you would be willing to trade 25 years of your life to do it.
Safety is however a two way street. Everyone needs to be vigilant. All drivers need to drive defensively, injuries do not care who is at fault. Over 1000 vehicle occupants were injured and 23 killed in motor vehicle crashes between 2010 and 2012 in Chenango County. Collisions and injuries do happen, even in Chenango County, no one is immune. So please pay attention to the road and to other drivers.
