Driving while intoxicated in Texas may impact a person’s life in more ways than one, including their opportunity to find or maintain employment. People who understand the impact of driving drunk on their employment opportunities may think twice about engaging in such behavior.
Fortunately, even with a DWI charge, people still have the chance to move forward and can work hard to rebuild their reputation.
Dangers of intoxicated driving
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, as a result of drunk driving, someone suffers fatal injuries every 20 minutes in the state of Texas. Even a minuscule amount of alcohol can greatly impact a person’s ability to reason and identify hazards before it is too late.
Depending on the circumstances, people pulled over for DWI may face a variety of consequences including fines, loss of driving privileges and jail time. Each of these outcomes may affect their employment.
Conviction vs. arrest
If people temporarily need to take time off work to address the consequences of their drunk driving, they may have the option of returning to work immediately afterward. However, finding new employment down the road could have some complications with a DWI charge on their record. Especially if the job they hope to get is one that requires them to drive machinery or a company-owned vehicle.
Chron reminds people that an arrest and a conviction are not the same. An arrest does not mean a person is guilty. If convicted of DWI, people do need to disclose this information on their application. If it comes up during an interview, people should provide honest information and give enough context to answer questions. Highlighting what they have learned from their experience may help them create a good first impression. After so many years, convictions can sometimes be permanently expunged.