If you receive a charge and subsequent conviction for drunk driving (DUI) in Colorado, you can anticipate considerable penalties if convicted. Depending on the details of your case, you may face jail time, fines, the loss of your license and related penalties.
The fees and fines associated with a Colorado DUI conviction are substantial, and in fact, the costs of a DUI are rising. The Colorado Department of Transportation expects a 32-percent uptick in the average amount you will pay for a DUI conviction going forward.
DUI by the numbers
While a DUI in Colorado has always been expensive, you can now anticipate paying $3,000 more than you would have previously should you be convicted. Previously, a DUI conviction would run you, on average, about $10,270 in total. Nowadays, however, you can expect to shell out about $13,530 for a Colorado DUI, an increase of $3,260.
Why Colorado DUIs now cost more
Just what is driving the increase in fees and penalties for DUIs in Colorado? Among the primary factors is the fact that the average person charged with drunk driving in Colorado now classified as a persistent drunk driver.
What does that mean, exactly? Essentially, the term “persistent drunk driver” refers to someone who meets certain qualifications based on his or her past criminal record or level of intoxication.
For example, you might be a persistent drunk driver if you have offended in the past or if you refuse to allow law enforcement officials to assess your blood alcohol concentration with a breath or blood test. You may also meet the criteria for being a persistent drunk driver if your blood alcohol content is measured at .15 percent or higher.
Many Colorado drivers now meet these criteria, and 55 percent of the increase in DUI fees and fines is due to the number of persistent drunk drivers in the state. A Colorado DUI is undeniably expensive, and as you might expect, the fees you can anticipate paying will increase with each additional DUI conviction.
