Once you step into a vehicle while even slightly intoxicated, you run the risk of hurting others. If you have a lapse in judgment, you will have to be held accountable for your crimes against society. Missouri won’t tolerate a DWI, and the penalties won’t be easy to stomach.

If your arrest was the first, you will be able to plead your case and hopefully avoid jail time. You will for sure lose your driving license for thirty days while you undergo a suspension process. You may only get reinstated after ninety days, but you will be eligible for a restricted driver’s permit after thirty days. The restricted license allows you to go to work and school as needed, but nowhere else.

If you make the poor choice to obtain another DUI, you will be known as a prior offender. You will find it much harder to plead ignorance, as the minimum sentence is a five day stay at the local jail. Thirty days of community service can sometimes substitute the jail sentence, although you will have to have a lawyer argue your case.

You are considered to be a an extreme danger to your community if you have picked up a third DWI. You will be known as a persistent offender, and you will lose your license for an extended period of time. In order to get it back, you must take the written test and driving test over again. Special classes and extra fees will be tacked onto the normal court fees.

All DWI offenders go through a program named the Substance Abuse Traffic Offender program. This program is referred to as SATOP, and is required by the courts for all DWI offenders to take before getting a license back. The DWI class will teach students the effects of alcohol, what’s considered safe, driving regulations, and try to convey how wrong it is to even risk the lives of others while on the open road and intoxicated.

As an offender, you must file for SR-22 insurance. This type of insurance will recognize that you are a high risk driver. You will have to pay for a filing fee and also be subject to higher fees each month. Some insurance companies will not continue issuing insurance to those who get a DWI, while others will simply jack up the price each month to cover their risks in insuring your vehicle.

Final Thoughts

Most offenders are young and will soon find that a DUI will severely impact job opportunities and one’s reputation among the community. Not all is lost; you may still redeem yourself by becoming a supporter of stopping drunk drivers and turning a new leaf.

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