Being smart this New Years Eve can save you $10K

December 29, 10:10 PMNorthern Colorado Beer Examiner'Chipper' Dave Butler

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Going out to party on New Year's Eve? Have a great time. There are hundreds of places I could tell you to go to celebrate the new year with a good beer, but there's only one place I'm going this year - that's home.  Home?  Yep.  I'm staying home.  Why?  Let me add up the reasons.

Let me paint you a scary little story.   Here's the thing.  Let's say you go out New Year's Eve to your favorite watering hole for some beers, perhaps some champagne and a shot or two just for fun.  You're well liquored up.  Only thing is, you forgot to plan for alternative transportation and find yourself having to drive yourself home.

Getting home may not seem like a tough thing to you, afterall you're a great driver right?  So what could be so bad?

First of all, the Colorado State Patrol and all of the Colorado city police departments will be out in force that night looking for people like you.  There's literally an army of cops out there setting up DUI checkpoints everywhere just waiting for any car to come along.

Second, this is winter folks.  Icy conditions can exist at any time.  A small inconspicuous patch of ice may appear just at the spot you need to hit the brakes and send you spinning out of control.

Third, there are a ton of people out late this night filling the roads with a much higher amount of traffic than normal nights.  Think your back road home is going to be clear?

The Cost of a DUI

You don't even need to be in an accident to be caught for a DUI.  And when it happens to you, it's going to cost you plenty.  How much you say?  Let's add up the costs awaiting you after they arrest you.

Bail: expect to shell out between $150 to $2500 for bail money.  This depends on your perceived risk to society and your past history.

Towing:  You didn't think the cops were just going to let your car sit on the street while you were being processed did ya?  They're going to tow your sorry self and stick you with a $100 to $1200 towing fee depending on how far it is to the nearest impound lot.

Insurance:  Don't worry, your insurance agent will be right there to help you.  Help you jack up your car insurance rates about 3 times your existing rate.  Expect this to cost you an extra $1500 per year for the next 3 to 5 years. That's at least $4500.

Legal Fees:  There are legions of DUI lawyers out there just waiting to help defend you in court for your infraction.  Their services are going to cost you between $2,000 and possibly up to $25,000 depending on the circumstances of your case.  You might get off, but it's gonna cost ya.

Fines:  Ooo ya, there are a lot of fines to be had.  From jailing fees, to victims compensation funds, to the sheriff's special projects.  They all need funding and a DUI perp like you is going to fund it all.   Fork out another $300 to $1200 for these.

Alcohol Evaluation:  The state needs to examine you to see why you are the way you are.  These evals are going to run you just under $200 here in Colorado.

Alcohol Treatment:   Drinking is a disease didn't you know?  They're going to treat you like a sicko.  Treatments to keep you off the brew are going to run between $350 and $2000.   Ya, this is getting expensive.

License Re-instatement Fees:  First they give and then they take away.  Your drivers license that is.  To get it back you're going to need to shell out between $60 and $250.

Miscellaneous Charges:  Depending on how high your blood alcohol content was, expect them to charge you a bit more.  If you happen to be under the age of 21, yup it will cost you even more.

Ok.  That's a lot of charges for one DUI.  Think you're done?  Nope.  There's also possible jail time, court time, community service time.  All that time is going to be taken away from the time you normally work and will cost you some lost wages to boot.

The Final Cost:

Add this all up, and you're looking at at least $9,500 here in Colorado.  By the time it's all done and all the time that you've lost in income the total bill could be as high as $15,000.  That is, if you didn't injure or kill somebody.

So you tell me, is all of this worth having a few beers out and driving on New Year's Eve?   I'd say no.  Why pad the pockets of our lawyers, insurance companies and criminal justice employees needlessly?

So if you feel you just can't stand to stay home like me on New Years Eve and have to go out and party like it's 1999, at least do the smart thing.  Use a designated driver, call a taxi, walk to your party or simply obstain from drinking that night.  A DUI can not only wreck your night, but it can also ruin your life and possibly others as well.

We all love our craft beer, but be sure you enjoy it responsibly this holiday season.  There are plenty of ways I'd rather spend nearly $10,000 than giving it away to the courts.