How Can Being Convicted of an OVI/Drunk Driving in Ohio Affect Your Employment?
We are DUI-OVI attorneys with offices in Mansfield and Mount Vernon, Ohio and offer free DUI consultations.
Few people would be surprised to hear that someone they know who drives for a living was fired after they were convicted of OVI/Drunk Driving. However, many people don’t realize, until it’s too late, that a conviction involving drinking and driving can have a significant impact on your employment, even if you don’t drive for work. Here are some of the ways an OVI/Drunk Driving conviction can have collateral consequences on your employment:
Insurance Policies
Car insurance companies respond very negatively to an OVI conviction. Your premiums will soar, and your insurance may even be outright cancelled. If you commute to work by car, you may find it nearly impossible and/or very expensive to get to and from work. Maybe you can hitch a ride with a co-worker. Maybe you can take the bus, provided you could find a bus route to get you there. Maybe you can take a leave of absence until you are able to drive again. Or maybe, you can’t.
Background Check
An OVI/Drunk Driving conviction becomes part of the public record. That means that any employer who wants to look it up, can. Fairly or not, some prospective employers may feel that such a conviction reflects poorly on your character. And when applying for a position that is highly competitive, your conviction may be the deal breaker that allows the other guy get the job.
Narrowed Employment Opportunities
Just because you don’t work for a company now that requires driving, doesn’t mean that you won’t want such a job in the future. Sorry, but your OVI/Drunk Driving conviction just may slam the door on all such jobs.
Licenses
Oftentimes, the punishment for drunk driving includes the temporary loss of your license, yet your license to drive is not always the only one at risk. It is not uncommon for the granting, and maintaining, of professional licenses to be tied to a clean arrest record. Therefore, if you belong to a medical board, the bar association or other professional organizations, you may find your membership/license denied or revoked.
Ideally, it will never happen to you. But if it does, get yourself a specialist; someone with the knowledge and experience to get you the results you require.