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Jun 02, 2024

MA Residents, Make This Mistake And Kiss Your $$$ Goodbye

Here's a question, Berkshire County: Get a ride or get a DUI? The obvious choice is to get a ride. And there are several reasons why you should make that choice if you've been incapacitating yourself

Here's a question, Berkshire County: Get a ride or get a DUI? The obvious choice is to get a ride. And there are several reasons why you should make that choice if you've been incapacitating yourself with alcohol, drugs, or both before climbing behind the wheel, not the least of which is potentially killing someone or yourself.

Here's another reason why the choice to hand over your keys and get a ride from somebody else should be even easier. According to a new study, Massachusetts ranks near the top nationwide for states with the highest DUI costs.

The research team at Assurance did an interesting state-by-state study looking into the highest cost differences between getting a Rideshare vs. getting a DUI. Realistically, no matter where you live, operating a motor vehicle while you're impaired could cost you EVERYTHING.

Still, DUIs in some states are more expensive than in others. And the two states that top the most expensive list are Michigan and Massachusetts. To come up with their findings, the Assurance team looked at all sorts of things DUI-related.

Such as average court costs, increased insurance rates, legal fees, DUI fines, funeral costs, etc. Next, they added up all those costs and compared the final cost with the average cost for a Rideshare such as Uber.

Michigan, ranked at #1 has the highest cost difference between a Rideshare and a DUI. The average cost of a DUI in Michigan is $41,952 and the average cost of a Rideshare is $12.61, making the cost difference $41,939.39.

Coming in at #2 for the highest cost difference is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The average DUI cost in the Bay State is $41,214.67 and the average cost of a Rideshare is $17.25, making the difference $41,197.42.

Not only that but Michigan and Massachusetts are also the two states with the highest costs(on average) of a DUI. Both states are well over $40,000 while the next closest is Mississippi where the average cost of a DUI is slightly over $36,000.

Take a guess as to which state has the lowest average DUI cost of $19,660. Hint: It's in New England. Answer: Vermont. By the way, even with the lowest average DUI cost and the tenth-lowest average rideshare cost($12.78), getting a DUI in Vermont would still cost 1500 times more than getting a ride from Uber.

Just some food for thought. Check out the full study on Assurance's website here and let's try to be careful out there. Please.