In 2016, about one person an hour died as a result of drunk driving.

Sure, consuming alcohol is fun. It’s intoxicating (literally and metaphorically). It’s a blast.

But it can also land drinkers and those around them in a whole heap of troubling consequences, some of which can never be reversed.

The constant reminder rings with the many fatalities and injuries that have come before and could have easily been prevented: don’t drink and drive.

How many consequences of the action can you name? We guarantee some of them you have never considered.

The Real Consequences

The repercussions go much further than a slap on the hand and a fine. Here, we’ll mention a few.

Arrest

Anyone who’s had alcohol in exorbitant amounts can tell you that reciting the ABCs backwards is impossible while intoxicated, especially if you’re having to balance with a hand on your nose too.

So once you fail your roadside sobriety test, police will cuff you and take you in to the local jail.

There, you’ll have to wait for someone to bail you out or for a judge to decide to release you without a necessary bail.

And let’s just add here that jail cells are usually not nice places to spend the night. Or several nights.

Suspension of Your Driver’s License

Next, your license gets suspended.

You can wave goodbye as you watch it taken away.

Most likely, you’ll be supplied with a temporary license even before any conviction. It’ll be up to you to request a hearing to obtain your license back.

Even if the charges get dismissed, if you don’t request a hearing your actual license will still get suspended.

Be prepared to pay reinstatement fines, enroll in a course and file paperwork with your insurance company to get it back.

And when you do, some states will require you to get restricted license plates. You know the ones, with the fancy yellow color that attracts every eye within a mile?

Probation

In most states, you’ll also experience probation after a DUI charge.

These probation periods come with strict rules:

• You must work, go to school or seek employment.
• You must submit to random drug and/or alcohol testing.
• You may not stay in or around locations where alcohol can be sold and consumed.
• Most likely, you’ll have to partake in counseling or support groups.
• You will pay probation oversight fees.
• You’ll have to remain within the state.

Lengths and regulations vary by state, but offenders can generally expect to be on probation for at least a year.

And you thought your mother was strict.

Education

You won’t get off with just a fine and jail time; officials want to make sure you understand the seriousness of your actions.

That’s why offenders probably have to attend DUI school or something similar. Yes, this can be in addition to the classes, counseling, and support groups required for probation.

There, they’ll learn all about the drunk driving’s dangers and may be assessed for the likelihood of repeat offenses.

Sounds fun, right?

Jail Time

You might have thought we already covered this, but not so fast.

Some states require days of jail time for even a first offense. Arizona, for instance, has a minimum 10-day requirement, but any state can increase the penalty to 6 months for a first conviction.

On top of these initial requirements, states may have their own unique regulations. Further, the offender’s driving record and arrest largely play into this punitive measure.

If this isn’t the first DUI, prison time may be added.

Fines

Did we mention the fines?

Lots and lots of them.

Because DUI consequences involve many of those precious green slips.

Currently, DUIs cost, on average, $10,000. The prices heighten as offenses increase.

Higher Auto Insurance

And those fines don’t even take into consideration the increase offenders will face in their auto insurance coverage.

A first charge alone can increase premiums 94.13%, and the premiums increase exponentially for repeat offenders.

Lawsuits

You might have thought the financial worries would end there.

However, if you’re sued for damages, you can expect to lose much, much more money in attorney fees, court fees, and final decisions.

DUI lawyers cost thousands of dollars.

Read more about lawsuits at this handy site, which details drunk driving faq.

Injury

So far we’ve covered all the logical repercussions, but we haven’t even touched the emotionally-scarring ones.

Drunk driving can result in injuries to the driver or to others who happened to be on the road.

In 2014, there were almost 11,000 alcohol-related crashes.

Not only does this mean possible hospital time and bills, but it may also mean months of pain and potential, irreversible, injuries.

Fatalities

In that same year, almost 30% of all traffic deaths were related to alcohol.

Living with the guilt of taking someone’s life can cause catastrophic emotional and mental damage, and this doesn’t take into account the deceased family’s suffering.

Beth Chancellor experienced this nightmare firsthand in 2013, when she and her family were returning home and were hit by a drunk driver. Her husband was killed on impact. She says she doesn’t hate the man who hit them. Instead, she states, “He just made a selfish, stupid, stupid decision.”

It took years for Beth and her family to recover physically and mentally, but they have yet to forget the father and husband who lost his life. Today, she remembers him through school visits, warning children of the dangers of drunk driving and drugs.

Don’t Drink and Drive

You hear and see the words everywhere: on the radio, across billboards, in the news.

But have you ever considered the real effects of drunk driving?

Our world is an interesting place full of amazing people, ones like Dan Black, who sacrificed his chance to walk again for the sake of a five-year-old he had never met. These are the people who would be affected, and you would be, too.

Read more about Dan Black’s selflessness here and, in the meantime, stay safe on the roads. There’s one easy way to do it: don’t drink and drive.