Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16

Mike Lawler Discloses 2012 Drunk-Driving Arrest as He Defends Key House Swing Seat

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16

Mike Lawler Discloses 2012 Drunk-Driving Arrest as He Defends Key House Swing Seat

Q: His driving violation was not a crime. What are the actual penalties and costs?

In New York, a first-offense DWAI by alcohol is not a crime, but it still carries meaningful penalties and costs. The direct legal penalty is a traffic infraction punishable by a $300 to $500 fine, up to 15 days in jail, and a 90-day license suspension. The bigger financial hit usually comes from DMV-related charges. A DWAI conviction typically triggers a Driver Responsibility Assessment of $250 a year for three years, or $750 total. To get driving privileges back after a suspension, there is generally a $100 reapplication fee. If the driver enters the state’s Impaired Driver Program, that usually adds a $75 DMV fee plus up to $233 paid to the program provider. That means the routine out-of-pocket total, before insurance and legal costs, is often roughly $1,225 to $1,658: the court fine, the $750 assessment, the $100 reapplication fee, and IDP costs. Court surcharges may add more, depending on the court. There are also indirect costs that can exceed the formal penalty. Insurance premiums commonly rise sharply after an alcohol-related driving conviction, and some drivers face policy cancellation or much higher renewal rates. Towing, bail, missed work, and transportation during the 90-day suspension can add further expense. So while DWAI avoids a criminal record, it is far from minor: the formal penalties are limited, but the real-world cost can easily run well beyond the base fine.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16

Mike Lawler said he was arrested on St. Patrick’s Day 2012 on suspicion of drunken driving and later pleaded guilty in Rockland County to the reduced violation of driving while ability impaired.
The 39-year-old New York Republican said he had been drinking heavily after learning his father was gravely ill and was pulled over while driving home on the Palisades Parkway.
No public record of the arrest or court disposition was provided by his campaign, though a Journal News police blotter item said the stop occurred in Haverstraw at 10:15; his spokesman said the listing wrongly showed a.m. instead of p.m.
The disclosure surfaces in one of the country’s most closely watched House races, with Lawler seeking re-election in a Hudson Valley swing district central to the fight for control of Congress.