The Facts & Cost of a DUI In Nevada

Lets begin with the big picture of DUI Facts

A Nevada DUI conviction will also hammer your wallet HARD at least in the near future. Forbes reported that a first time DUI conviction will increase your insurance premiums an average of 19%.  If your premiums are currently $1,200 a year, then you will pay $380, plus you can also add on another $265 for a required SR22 which provided by your insurance company. Likely you can anticipate that an additional $600 will be added to the cost of your auto insurance.

In 2011, over 1.2 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication.  That’s less than 1% of the 112 million self-reported episodes of alcohol impaired driving among U.S. adults  for that year. 50% to 75% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. A person convicted of driving on a suspended driver’s license can pay a fine of up to $1000 and may be sentenced to 6 months in jail.

So, why do we think we can drive while under the influence and not put anyone else on the road at risk?  

One reason is known as illusory superiority. This means that drivers tend to overestimate their driving skills while underestimating the IQ and skills of other drivers. In other words drivers believe that their driving skills are superior to other drivers on the road. Commonly people believe that traffic laws are written for the other drivers not them.

It is because of a common driver belief known as Illusory Superiority (IS). IS means that drivers tend to overestimate their own driving skills while underestimating the intelligence and skills of other drivers. In other words, drivers believe  that their driving skills are superior to all other drivers on the road. Commonly, drunk drivers believe that their driving skills will compensate for any impairment they may have while they are holding onto the steering wheel.  

So this leads to a simple question…

If we believe that we are better drivers than everyone else on the road, why are on average 6 million vehicle crashes each year. And as a result of these 6 million crashes on average 2,650,000 drivers and passengers are injured seriously enough to require emergency care. By anyone’s assessment, 6 million vehicle crashes are an expensive financial and personal cost for society.

Of those 6,000,000 vehicle crashes annually, an average of 2,500,000 drivers, passengers and pedestrians sustain injuries that required emergency care.  In addition, in 2012, more than 10,500 crash victims required the services of a mortician as the result of drunk driver.

Reality come in many flavors. From personal experience or your friends, to images, media and statistics to mention the obvious. But, let’s begin this course with the most current facts related to impaired driving. Crash statistics paint a picture in simple numbers. But, never forget for each digit, there was living person with family, friends, laughter and memories. Not everyone dies or is seriously injured in a DUI crash, but the experience leaves an indelible mark on that person.

From 2009 to 2012, the total number of people who were killed in car crash fatalities totaled 135,500 fathers, mothers, children and best friends.  

You do not need glasses to read the simple statistics.  As we go over these numbers, never leave your mind that for each digit, there was living person with family, friends, laughter and memories. Not everyone dies or is seriously injured in a DUI crash, but the experience leaves an indelible mark on that person.