Friday night, 12:00, you've been consuming a few too many alcoholic beverages and on top of that you have to drive home. Not to fear, you have a designated driver or do you?

According to Director of Public Safety, Richard Hatler, in 2001 there were 10 arrests on the charges of driving under the influence (DUI). Along with this number, Martin City Police Department reported 77 in 2001 making a total of 87 DUI arrests for UTM students, also reported were two arrests of driving while intoxicated (DWI) and 52 violations of the Drinking Age Law.

A possible charge in the case of a DUI expends time, money and reputation of the convicted. Upon arrest, a person must spend, but are not limited to, at least 6-8 hours in jail depending on the level of intoxication. If charges are not dropped, community service through the court system, along with community service through the universtiy may be one of many types of diciplinary action faced.

According to a consensus from several local lawyers, the attorney costs in this type of case is $500, not to mention the court costs, which can exceed $400. THese fees have the potential to amount far greater than $1000. Along with the legal costs, there is the issue of finding an insurance carrier for the person with a DUI on their record. Most insurance companies hesitate to take on the liability of a driver with this type of driving record. However, if they do so, the premiums are outrageous in price. While being a college student, these funds are hard to come by.

Therefore, not only fellow students will learn of the arrest; parents, other family members and friends will inevitably leard of the mishap. When this happens, reputations become tarnished, hometown pride decreases and parental pride decreases as a result of the DUI charges. In addition to this Richard Hatler stated, "Job interviews may be more difficult to obtain if a potential employer notices a DUI on your record. The employer will be much more hesitant to hire a person with this offense on their record than they will a person with a clean record".

Next time you decide to party-hearty without a designated driver, think of all the consequences that decision could bring. Richard Hatler is the Director of Public Safety for the University of Tennessee at Martin. He has been employed at UTM Public Safety for 3 years, and has been in law enforcement for 30 years.