The true price of DUIs

Mainstreet.com looks into Celebrity DUIs such as Mischa Barton’s and examines the real price paid for drunk driving.

So, how much is this really costing Mischa Barton – and in terms of cost, we’re talking hard financial cost, not any loss of future deals that it may have caused:

• Court fine of $1200 – $2500
• If vehicle is impounded, storage fees of $1500 plus $115 booking fee
• Getting a new license is $120
• Mandatory drug and alcohol tests, and counseling, at least $600
• $10,00 – $20,000 for her lawyer
• Likely a fee to be paid, rather than jail time

Mischa will have to contend with that DUI conviction being on her record for many years, affecting her insurance.

“It causes considerable reputational harm and severely sandbags your career options,” says Makler. “People fight so hard because they don’t want to live with the taint of having a criminal record.”

A representative for the Director’s Guild Association notes that:

A DUI or drug conviction—or in Barton’s case, both—puts up a red flag that makes audiences and producers alike wonder if someone has a problem with either of those vices. “Let’s face it,” says Pavlovich. “It all has to do with star power and if it’s worth the risk and trouble. It’s all about the dollar. It’s show business, people. It’s not show screw-off.”

Thanks Caroline! Tags: mischa barton, mischa barton dui, dui, celebrity dui