Staying in California the other week with my brother, we got to discussing driving offences (as you do) and he was stunned when I told him how little the average DUI offence was likely to cost in NZ. He said that the average cost in California was well over US$10,000 for a first offence, so no one risks it unless they are positively bonkers.
I was sure it could not be that expensive - turns out, it is! Found this 2013 article:
Beware of the $16,000 cocktail.
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day partying, the Automobile Club of Southern California has calculated that a first-offense misdemeanor DUI conviction can now cost up to $15,649 in California.
That’s up 29% from 2011.
The penalties are even higher for teenagers. The expense of an under-age-21 first-offense misdemeanor DUI is up to $22,492. "
Maybe we could try that level of penalty here to clean up our stats!