Most drivers know the immediate penalties for drink driving: a fine, a period of licence disqualification, and for many offences, the mandatory interlock program. What catches people out is everything that follows. A conviction for Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol (PCA) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) carries consequences that keep surfacing long after the court date.
Once your disqualification ends and you are eligible to drive again, you must declare your conviction to your motor vehicle insurer. A drink driving conviction classifies you as a high-risk driver. Premiums typically rise substantially, and can remain elevated for several years. Some insurers may decline to cover you at all.
For mid-range, high-range, and repeat offenders, participation in the Mandatory Alcohol Interlock Program is a legal requirement before you can obtain an unrestricted licence again. The driver bears these costs entirely. You pay for installation, monthly leasing, regular servicing, and eventual removal of the device. Over the length of a typical program, these costs run into thousands of dollars.
A drink driving conviction results in a criminal record in NSW. The career implications are often the part clients have not considered until it is raised in conference. Professions requiring a clean record, security clearances, or driving as a core duty can be closed off. Many countries, most notably the United States and Canada, have strict entry requirements and may deny visas to individuals with criminal convictions, including DUIs.
Given how these costs compound, experienced representation is worth obtaining early. A traffic lawyer can present mitigation, negotiate the facts as agreed with police, and in some circumstances argue for a Section 10 dismissal, which spares you the conviction, the disqualification and the interlock program entirely. Set against the long-term financial burden of a conviction, the cost of a lawyer is usually the smaller number.
