Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs has declined over the years due to increased awareness, stricter laws, and public campaigns. However, the percentage of fatalities from DUI has remained at about one out of every three fatalities for the past decade – it appears to have plateaued.
Hardcore drunk drivers continue to wreak havoc on our nation’s roads, accounting for nearly 70 percent of drunk driving fatalities.
Every driver certainly knows it is not acceptable to drive under the influence – so why do so many continue to do so? Do we think we can handle it, and nobody will know? Do we just lose track of how many drinks we have consumed? Are we having so much fun or enjoying it so much we just can’t stop?
In a November 4 article from the Albany media, I found an example of someone who just can’t seem to stop drinking and driving. The article states: A 65-year-old Schenectady man with nine drunk driving convictions faces up to life in prison for crashing into a gas pump and driving over a motorcyclist. Daniel Miller was found guilty on Oct. 31, after a jury trial on multiple charges stemming from incidents in 2022 and 2023. Miller will be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2025. If he is deemed a persistent felony offender, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 25 years to life, according to the published article.
And, from Northeast Public Radio this past summer, it was reported that a Plattsburgh politician was stopped by Plattsburgh police on August 22 and a breath test showed a blood alcohol level of .10 percent. The driver said she had three drinks at a local bar before leaving to visit a friend. She faced charges of driving while intoxicated, driving with a blood alcohol level exceeding .08 percent, and failure to signal.
Also, last summer, enforcement agencies in New York State issued 1,227 arrests for alcohol/drug violations from 6 p.m. on July 3 to midnight on July 7. Additional patrols over the July 4th holiday weekend targeted reckless and aggressive driving and included sobriety checkpoints.
In November NY State Police participated in a special traffic enforcement initiative to crack down on unsafe driving behaviors during the Thanksgiving holiday period from November 23 through December 1. Utilizing sobriety checkpoints and extra patrols, NY State Police said they arrested 251 drivers for driving under the influence over their 2024 “Thanksgiving enforcement period”. The number was up from last year, when 178 got DWI charges during the same period.
In total, police said 24,191 tickets were issued during the holiday surge, up from 18,690 in 2023. These tickets included 4,338 for speeding, 371 for distracted driving, 2,520 for seatbelt violations, and 242 for failing to obey the Move Over Law.
In 2022, the most recent complete year for statistics, there were 13,524 alcohol related fatalities nationwide, 32 percent of the total fatalities. This continues to be unacceptable. We need to do better, especially during the upcoming holidays!