A simple driving ticket may result in menial inconveniences of paying fees and showing your license to the traffic officer, but the truth is, your violation could impact your life in significant ways. From losing your license, getting jail time to paying higher insurance premiums, it’s time you realize the importance of taking driving responsibly to heart.
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Table of Contents
You Will Get a Higher Insurance Rate
As if your auto insurance is not hurting your budget enough, driving violations can raise your premiums depending on the claims and offenses. Often, an auto insurance company is keener to give discounts to drivers with clean records, while reckless drivers who have severe crimes like DUI may pay as much as 300 percent in insurance.
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You Could Lose Your License
In most states, DUI and DWI are serious offenses which could result to license suspension. It is illegal to drive and register a vehicle without a license. You may appeal to retain your license through an ALR hearing, but be prepared with a reputable DWI attorney to defend you, as well as expect mandatory court appearances and costly penalties.
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Limited Employment Opportunities
Some employers are picky about their staff, so if you have severe driving records, plenty of tickets and other driving offenses, you might just find yourself with limited employment opportunities. It is going to be difficult for you to find commercial driving employment such as an Uber driver if you’ve had way too many violations.
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Jail Time
Depending on your violation, you may have to stay behind bars while your case proceeds. States like Texas penalize DWI with jail time as well hefty penalties, while in other states, continued neglect of driving tickets can escalate to a misdemeanor where you may be arrested via a warrant.
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Dip In Credit Rating
Credit rating is an essential component in availing financing tools and services like credit cards. When you regularly get cited for violations and fail to pay your tickets, a collection agency will eventually handle your case. This can result in a lower credit standing, consequently limiting your ability to get a loan, apply for credit cards, and even increase in insurance premiums.
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Loss of Federal Rights
When a violation is a so severe, such as when DUI results in a death of another individual, your case can escalate into a felony. When this happens, you could lose some of your rights, such as your right to vote, run for public office and getting financial aid. It is also possible for the government to stop or limit your trips overseas.
FINAL THOUGHT
It might come as a surprise that a simple driving violation can impact your life, but that only happens if you don’t go along with the due process and pay your dues. Of course, you’d prefer to prevent them from happening instead of correcting the issues, so make sure to drive cautiously and respect the road. Don’t let your violations linger even for a little while because the administrative process of some cases, such as a DUI and DWI, follow a timeline. Contact your trusted lawyer right away to get things all sorted out before things get out of hand.