Something has to be done about Drunk Driving

'Something has to be done,' Solicitor General says as drunk driving charges laid in Calgary double-fatality

Two people died early Sunday after a high-speed crash in northeast Calgary allegedly involving an impaired driver.

Police have charged a 23-year-old man with impaired driving causing death in connection with the crash on McKnight Boulevard N.E. at Deerfoot Trail.

The victims were a 27-yearold man and 24-year-old woman inside a westbound Dodge Avenger that was stopped for a red light when a Lexus GS300 plowed into the back of their car.

The driver of the Dodge was killed in the impact, which pushed the car more than 50 metres. The woman died in hospital a short time later.

Police said the Lexus travelled an additional 30 metres before coming to a stop.

Police at the scene arrested the driver of the Lexus, who wasn't injured.

A 24-year-old passenger in the vehicle suffered only minor injuries.

Their names haven't been released.

Ryan Thomas Kramer, 23, has been charged with two counts each of impaired driving causing death, driving over .08 causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

The crash is the second multiple fatality involving alcohol in Calgary the span of a week and comes as the provincial government mulls tougher penalties for impaired drivers.

Alberta's solicitor general said impaired driving has been a persistent problem for years.

"This is not a knee-jerk reaction. It's an ongoing issue, and I think something has to be done about it," Jonathan Denis said Sunday.

Alcohol-related deaths have been decreasing in Alberta but still made up a significant portion of the 351 traffic fatalities recorded in 2010.

Among those, Alberta Transportation reported 90 drivers had been drinking prior to the crash - 57 of whom were legally impaired. That number represents a 25 per cent decline since 2007.

In the past year, however, neighbouring B.C. has logged a 50 per cent decline in alcohol-related fatalities since introducing tough administrative penalties targeting impaired drivers.

B.C.'s administrative rules impose penalties for drivers with a bloodalcohol concentration above .05 but below the criminal standard of .08.

Drivers who register within that range can be subject to a 72-hour licence suspension and pay fines and associated fees totalling more than $600. The suspensions and fines increase for drivers repeatedly caught within that range.

Between October 2010 and July 2011, B.C. recorded 49 alcohol-related fatalities, down from an average of 93 deaths over the same period in the past five years.

"Something obviously is working when you have such a marked reduction," Denis said.

Denis, Justice Minister Verlyn Olson and Transportation Minister Ray Danyluk were given mandate letters from Premier Alison Redford last week instructing them to develop administrative penalties targeting impaired drivers.

While B.C.'s measures have attracted significant attention, Denis said the government is looking for a "made in Alberta" regimen that incorporates what works best in B.C. and other provinces.

B.C.'s legislation has drawn criticism from civil libertarians because of the heavy penalties it imposes against motorists who haven't exceeded the criminal threshold and the limited avenues of appeal available to drivers.

Denis said Alberta is looking at a fair appeals process and the intent of the legislation isn't to target drivers "who have a glass of wine with a meal."

Current provincial traffic regulations allow police to issue 24-hour suspensions against drivers who appear impaired but do not exceed the legal limit of .08.

However, the current law has no method of sanctioning drivers who habitually rack up 24-hour suspensions - new administrative penalties akin to B.C.'s would address that loophole, said Denis.

"We're after the people who persistently drink and drive," he said.

"I feel there should be some escalation in the penalties."

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Public Meeting About Dangers of Drinking and Driving

A public awareness event about the dangers of drugged, drunk and impaired driving will be held Monday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington.

Father Finbarr Dowling, St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, is helping to organize the event with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Father Dowling described the meeting, which will be open to the public, as an exchange of information among concerned parents.

“We hope to encourage parents who are trying hard to keep kids safe,” Father Dowling said. “We want to keep the emphasis on how parents are discouraging their kids from drinking and driving.”

Meghan Carter, executive director of the gateway affiliate of MADD, will speak at the event. The St. Louis chapter covers nine counties in the region, including Franklin County.

“My presentation will give people an overview of what we (MADD) do in the St. Louis area, how to get involved and to reach out to victims,” Carter said.

Carter will invite those who have been affected by drunk driving to share their personal stories about the “victimization that they’ve experienced and what MADD has done for them.”

Washington police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department deputies also have been invited to speak.

Accident Statistics

According to the Statistical Analysis Center of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, in 14.8 percent of fatal crashes involving drivers under the age of 21, the driver’s drinking condition contributed to the cause of the crash.

In 2010, there were 18 drivers between the ages of 15-20 who were killed in accidents involving alcohol statewide.

There were 319 personal injuries reported from accidents involving alcohol in that same age group in Missouri last year.

According to the patrol, there were 138 crashes involving drinking, in Franklin County last year. Of those 15 involved drivers under the age of 21.

Franklin County ranked eighth among all of the counties for the highest number of crashes involving drinking and drivers under 21.

In Warren County, the patrol reported 33 crashes involving drinking and two of those involved drivers under the age of 21.

In Washington, Lt. Mike Stapp said there have been no alcohol- or drug-related-accidents involving drivers under 21 and alcohol so far this year.

In 2010, there were three alcohol- or drug-related crashes where the drivers were under the age 21 and in 2009, there were four.

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Accident reenactment in West Milford is reality check

Reenactment of a 2009 auto accident caused by a driver who was under the influence of alcohol, gave West Milford High School juniors and seniors a reality check days before this year’s prom and graduation events. The mock accident on June 1 in a high school parking lot created a somber scene with grief-stricken and pensive students watching in deafening silence. About 100 participants, mostly volunteers, were involved in the presentation.

The wailing sirens of police cars, ambulances, fire trucks and other emergency responders, the sound of the approaching North Star Medivcac helicopter and finally the silent arrival of a hearse from Richard’s funeral home stunned the hundreds of students seated along the curb surrounding the parking lot.

The participants were equipped with wireless microphones, provided by Tom and Jerry Sconamilio, owners of The Music Den in Butler. The high school sound crew facilitating the sound included Ryan Hanenberg, Mark Lydecker, Keith Meola, Justin Chandler, Alex DeLaura and Ian O’Loughlin.

Before going to the mock accident scene the students saw a film filmed and edited by student Harry Fontan. It began with high school student actors Steve Kuchenruther, Jake Korinko, Meg Marino and Jackie Dougert having drinks before getting into a car to go to their prom. The crash and the chilling aftermath scene in the parking lot followed.

"Since a drunk driver crashed into my car every part of my life has been impacted and I am reminded of it every day," said Diane Sidoli.

She was one of several speakers who gave messages to the students. Sidoli uses a wheel chair as a result of loss of both of her legs after a drunk driver crashed into her car as she drove home from work.

This is the third time that a graduation-prom time drunk-driving related auto accident has been demonstrated at the high school, creator Peter Anzelone told Aim West Milford. He said the reenactment is held every two years. Anzelone is assistant principal and supervisor of health and physical education.

Hearing of the program in other schools, Anzelone observed presentations and then modified them for use in West Milford.

"We try to drive the point home as to what happens when people do not make good decisions," said Anzelone. "We try to burn it in the students’ brains to not get behind the wheel if they have been drinking."

"We, as a faculty, feel the loss of a student as well as their family and friends do," Anzelone told the students. "We care about each and every one. Take care of each other!"

"Police Officer Joseph Nevin has helped tremendously with this production," said Anzelone.

He also noted the cooperation and help from Acting Police Chief Gene Chiosie and Officers Anthony Parrello and Jill Brickman (West Milford High School graduates), Officer John Pescenti, in charge of Juvenile Protection, and School Principal Maureen Bernstock.

In introducing the program Guidance Counselor Don Heaney said the emergency responders volunteered their time to demonstrate the chaotic chain of events that occurs during an accident. He said that, unfortunately, the first responders too often have performed the tasks they were demonstrating.

"This presentation is not meant for your entertainment," said Heaney. "The reality is that these alcohol related accidents have happened in many places. I am sad to report that these preventable accidents have taken the lives of West Milford’s own. Do not dismiss this mock accident as ridiculous and say, ‘This won’t happen to me.’"

"In a few days you will be participating in the most important rituals of high school life," said Heaney. "High School graduation and attendance at the prom, for many, may involve drinking either before or after these events. More than likely someone who has had too much to drink will get behind the wheel of a car and drive."

"You should know that alcohol is associated with the leading cause of death among teen automobile crashes," said Heaney. "Although nearly one-third of all teen driving fatalities and injuries involve the use of alcohol, these rates shoot up around prom and graduation weekend, according to statistics on the Mothers Against Drunk Driving website. During prom weekends approximately 60 percent of all automobile facilities involve the use of alcohol."

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Drunk driver sentenced to eight and a half years for killing Decatur seniors

The driver that killed two teenagers three days before their graduation from Decatur High School last spring will be spending the next eight and a half years in prison.

Alexander E. Peder was sentenced to 102 months Friday afternoon by King County Superior Court Judge James Cayce for two counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence after killing Decatur seniors Derek King, 18, and Nicholas Hodgins, 18, on June 9, 2010. The driver of the car, Anthony Beaver, also a Decatur senior, survived.

“These three young men were supposed to be launching into adulthood,” said King County Deputy Prosecutor Amy Freedheim during the sentencing hearing. “This was their last day of high school, but only one would survive the day.”

Frieedheim, along with Peder and his attorney, John Wolfe, recommended to Cayce for the maximum sentence possible, which was the 102 months he received.

Peder’s sentencing range included a pair of two-year enhancements for two prior DUI-related convictions. He was convicted of first-degree negligent driving in 1998 and of reckless endangerment in 2008 after pleading down both alchohol-related incidents.

After entering a plea of not guilty immediately following the crash, Peder flipped and plead guilty on the two counts of vehicular homicide in February.

"I accept full and complete responsibility for my reckless actions," Peder said Friday. "Today, I'm here to face their families and friends. I'm sincerely sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused them. I selfishly choose to drink and drive that evening. I wish I could turn back the hands of time."

King, Hodgins and Anthony Beaver were driving south on Interstate 5, coming home after a celebration for their high school graduation in Bellevue with several other Decatur seniors.

“Our boys were doing everything right that night,” said Mary Bobbitt, Hodgins’ mother. “They were great kids spending time with their friends and so looking forward to graduation.”

Peder, who was also injured in the crash, was taken to Harborview, released a few hours later, then arrested and taken to King County Jail.

According to the trooper’s report, Peder had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and “spoke with a thick tongue.” There was alcohol on his breath when he spoke.

In light of this, before being taken to the hospital, troopers had medics draw blood to test blood-alcohol levels. Toxicology reports showed Peder’s blood alcohol level to be .16 percent.

According to the charging papers filed Monday, there was also a small amount of marijuana and a pipe in the Explorer.

This was not Peder’s first DUI. In 1998, the charge was amended to negligent driving and his sentence was deferred after Peder showed proof of completing a DUI victims panel and getting an alcohol evaluation. In 2008, he was arrested for a DUI; this time the charge was amended to reckless endangerment, and Peder was given a two-year suspended sentence. He is still on suspension for that last DUI offense.

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Somerville man arraigned for drunk driving tragedy on McGrath Highway Read more: Somerville man arraigned for drunk driving tragedy on McGrath Highwa

The one-car accident on the McGrath Highway overpass around 3:30 a.m. Friday morning reminded State Police Trooper Aleksandro Fontes of a “combat zone.”

The scene was dripping in blood and chunks of brain matter were visible in the white Chevrolet Malibu and stuck to one of the young men’s T-shirts, he recalled. One of the young women was already dead and another would die days later. The other three passengers were in shock, and the driver was screaming and pulling at his hair, sitting on the curb.

Somerville resident Kenneth Belew, 21, has been charged with two counts of motor vehicular homicide, negligent operation, operating under the influence of liquor and speeding.

On Monday, dozens of Belew’s friends and supporters turned out for his arraignment at Somerville District Court, but Belew decided to spend the hearing in the court’s jail. He was held on $5,000 cash bail.

According to Fontes’ report, Belew drove with his 21-year-old friend Jerry Altidor to a house party thrown by Rudolph Reis, a 20-year-old Somerville resident whose parents were out of town. Reis told Belew that he and three young women wanted a ride to McDonalds after the party, and Belew agreed to give them a ride.

Reis’ girlfriend Isabela Da Silva sat in the backseat on his lap and Mayara Alves, a young woman who had run away from her home four months earlier, was on 19-year-old Rafaela Pereira’s lap, according to reports. At the request of prosecutors, the names of the two deceased women have been redacted from the police report, but authorities identified them later in the day.

When they first got into the car, Pereira said he thought Belew was sober enough to drive, but on the roughly 2-mile journey to the McDonalds near Brickbottom, Belew was driving too fast and changing lanes erratically, Pereira told police.

Then on the McGrath Highway overpass above Washington Street, Belew suddenly slammed on the brakes and car spun out, slamming into the concrete sidewall. The teens who had been sitting on laps were not wearing seatbelts and were killed by the impact, though one survived in grave condition for a few days at Massachusetts General Hospital.

When Fontes arrived at the scene, Reis was covered in blood holding one unconscious woman with another unconscious woman next to him. Altidor was staring up at the sky with chunks of what appeared to be brain matter on his shirt, according to Fontes’ report.

Belew was sitting on the curb, bleeding from the head with two swollen eyes, screaming and pulling at his hair.

“I was driving and I am drunk! I am responsible for her death. Please take me to jail. That’s what I deserve,” Belew was yelling, according to Fontes. After he was read his Miranda rights, however, Belew did not give police a statement and kept demanding to be taken directly to jail.

Altidor later told police that Belew had drank at least three or four shots and split a pitcher of beer.

Before leaving the Magoun Square party around 3 a.m., 21-year-old Cassandra Corona spoke to Belew and said he told her he would walk home, because he lives nearby on Fiske Avenue, Corona said in an interview outside the courtroom.

“He said, ‘Why would I drive when I can walk right around the corner,’” Corona said. She described him as a generous person, who she said had acted responsibly by limiting himself to one drink when driving, on a recent occasion. “Kenny’s the type of person who doesn’t say ‘no’ to anybody.”

Belew has a history of car-related troubles, dating back to a year-and-a-half after receiving his license according to court and Registry of Motor Vehicles records. Not including his most recent charges, Belew has 40 entries on his driving history, dating back to January 2008.

In May 2008, Belew was busted for running a red light on Broadway, around midnight and for driving with a suspended license. The officer noted that there were blunt cigars – often used to smoke marijuana – and Belew’s eyes were bloodshot, but he did not face an operating under the influence charge.

A little more than a month later, Belew was again busted for driving with a suspended license, in Union Square. In both cases he pleaded there were sufficient facts to prove him guilty.

Mark Moss, a Billerica man, whose son and nephew are close friends with Belew said the young man described him as generous, smart and had demonstrated responsible behavior in regards to drinking. When Belew turned 21 on April 10, he hit the town but left his car behind, Moss said. In another instance, Belew had called Moss to tell him his son would be spending the night because he had too much to drink.
“This kid Kenny is a super nice kid,” said Moss at the courthouse Monday morning. “I don’t know why he got in a car that night.”

A 2008 graduate of Somerville High School, Belew had worked at a restaurant and a security company, and was attending Bunker Hill Community College fulltime, said his court-appointed attorney Emily Karstatter.

In his high school yearbook, Belew wrote that he wants to be an engineer; Moss said he was hoping to become a lawyer. Karstetter said he hoped to transfer to the University of Massachusetts.

Less than three weeks before the accident, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone made a presentation at SHS about the dangers of drunk driving. None of the passengers were current SHS students, according to the school’s Twitter.

Grief counseling is available at the high school but no specific announcement was made about the tragic accident, city spokesman Jackie Rossetti said. School Committee member Mark Niedergang said he is at a loss for what could be done to prevent drunk driving tragedies from happening in the future.
Moss was similarly frustrated as he comforted others who had turned out for Belew’s arraignment.
“It’s a tragedy for everyone. I just can’t imagine how he’s going to get through this,” said Moss. “We preach to these kids about drinking and driving…”
Belew, a slim 5-foot 10-inch tall man with close-cropped black hair, according to his booking sheet, is due back in court on May 17 for a pre-trial conference.


Read more: Somerville man arraigned for drunk driving tragedy on McGrath Highway - Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 - Somerville Journal http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/archive/x215604794/Somerville-man-arraigned-for-drunk-driving-tragedy-on-McGrath-Highway#ixzz1KdfxsWCy

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Drunk driver jailed 10 years for woman's death

Speeding driver ran red light in stolen pickup

CALGARY - There was no satisfaction and no closure for Boniface Pulwicki and his family when the impaired driver who caused a crash that killed his wife was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison.

Pulwicki said the length of the sentence that provincial court Judge Anne Brown meted out to Christopher James Rae on Thursday didn’t really make any difference.

“Justice is one thing, but we’ve had to deal with a huge loss,” a tearful husband said following the sentencing hearing. “Margaret will be missed forever.”

When asked what he thought about Rae now that the court process is complete, he said: “He has to deal with his problems.”

Brown said the crimes, including the crash that killed Malgorzata (Margaret) Pulwicki, 57, on Dec. 27, 2009, occurred when the offender was in the midst of an amphetamine addiction.

Rae, 27, was behind the wheel of a stolen truck travelling at more than 80 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on 20th Ave. N.W. when he ignored a red light and broadsided the Pulwickis’ 2003 Saturn at 10th St.

Margaret Pulwicki, a passenger in the left back seat of the vehicle being legally driven by her 14-year-old son Robert on the way to church, absorbed the majority of the impact. She died a short time later in hospital.

The family, which immigrated from Poland in 1979, said previously that just as they had stabilized their lives, “everything was toppled by the careless actions of a stranger.”

Brown gave Rae five years and five months for criminal negligence causing death and another 15 months for leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

She cited a “lengthy criminal record, related driving record, the escalating dangerous behaviour and the reckless driving” as aggravating factors in determining the sentence on the most serious of the offences.

She also gave him five months concurrent for leaving the scene of an accident with a second vehicle he struck, and 11 months concurrent for possession of the stolen vehicle he was driving.

As well, Rae was sentenced to 30 months consecutive for stealing $100,000 in what the judge called a “smash-and-grab” at a jewelry store on Aug. 14, 2009, and 10 months consecutive for robbing two clerks at a separate jewelry store on Sept. 3, 2009.

From the total sentence, Brown gave Rae double credit for 15 months already spent in remand, reducing his sentence to be served to seven years and five months.

She also prohibited Rae from driving for seven years after he is released from prison and banned for life from owning or possessing any firearms or other weapons.

Prosecutor Mike Ewenson had sought a total of 10 to 14 years. Defence lawyer Joan Blumer argued for six to nine years for all of the offences.

“My initial calculation ... resulted in a global sentence of 11 years,” Brown said. “Although I had already given some consideration to the totality effect of the sentence by making the possession of stolen property sentence concurrent, I then further reduced the sentence to 10 years.

“I made the reduction to reflect society’s desire to see Mr. Rae address his addictions by rehabilitation and thereby end his dangerous behaviour.”

Brown said the final word should go to the victim’s family and quoted from their victim impact statement:

“In many families losing a mother means losing the strongest link holding everyone together. Undoubtedly, this has happened in our case too. But it would be an even greater loss – in fact, an insult to what our family has worked to achieve — to let ourselves be broken up by the greatest of tragedies. Our hope is that the biggest impact on our family won’t be the heartbreak or the exhaustion of finding a new way to live, but to stay together, just like our mom, wife and friend would have wanted.”

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'Drunk driver' slams into fence

A DRUNK driver hit a parked car, mounted a kerb and then slammed into a fence in North Bondi, police allege.
The five-year-old daughter of the driver was in the back seat at the time.
The incident happened at the junction of Clyde and Justus streets about 11.40am yesterday.
Police arrested the driver, a 47-year-old woman, who allegedly recorded a breath test reading of 0.197. The legal limit is 0.5.
She was charged with high-range drink driving, had her licence suspended and is due to front Waverley Local Court on May 24.

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Business owners and entrepreneurs who own any social venue and who are looking to start a cash business can now do there part in the prevention of Drunk Driving. Please visit alcobuddy.com. World's premiere Breathalyzer Vending Machine for more information.

Parents of Brooklyn man killed in DWI crash

The merciful parents of a promising Brooklyn man mowed down by a boozed-up driver asked his killer Thursday to honor their son's legacy by teaching students about the perils of drunken driving.

Michael Ortiz, 22, pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and DWI in the 2008 death of Fred Malcolm McCormack, accepting a unique no-jail deal that requires him to speak at 100 high schools.

"Don't let us down," Fred McCormack Sr. told Ortiz during the courtroom appearance. "Make something real good with your life and we will support you."

A tearful Fay McCormack - a Georgia prosecutor who spent her career putting drunken drivers behind bars - told the court how difficult it was to spare the one who took her son's life.

"I wanted to feed him to the dogs," she said, then recalled how her daughter and ex-husband convinced her otherwise.

"I am hoping that with this plea today and with the generosity of my family, [Ortiz] will keep Malcolm's memory," she said.

Ortiz briefly answered the judge's questions in Brooklyn Supreme Court, admitting to drinking two orange liqueurs before getting behind the wheel and hitting McCormack as he crossed a busy East New York boulevard.

"This was a great outcome," said defense lawyer Eric Franz, noting that prosecutors had a weak case because his client showed no evidence of intoxication after the crash, but instead called 911 and remained at the scene.

As part of the deal, Ortiz must attend 50 meetings with relatives of drunken-driving victims and must sit down with the McCormacks after the hearing, when he tearfully apologizes. If he completes the program, his felony will be expunged.

Speaking in court before her parents, Francia McCormack Wilson portrayed her brother, who died at 28, as a gifted musician, a computer whiz and aspiring lawyer all rolled into one.

"Justice to me," she concluded, "is seeing Michael honoring my brother by teaching people how to be better."

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Business owners and entrepreneurs who own any social venue and who are looking to start a cash business can now do there part in the prevention of Drunk Driving. Please visit alcobuddy.com. World's premiere Breathalyzer Vending Machine for more information.

Beverly man held without bail after alleged drunk driving accidents

A Lynn District Court judge ordered a Beverly man held without bail yesterday after he was arraigned on charges of hitting three cars while under the influence of alcohol, injuring three people.

Mateusz Chruscicki, 34, pleaded not guilty to several charges stemming from his Wednesday night arrest, according to a statement from Steve O'Connell, a spokesman for Essex County District Attorney's office.

According to Essex County Assistant District Attorney Geoffrey Wood, police received several 9-1-1 calls beginning at about 5:40 Wednesday evening that a red Ford 350 pickup truck hit several vehicles while driving southbound on Route 1, the statement said.

When police arrived on scene in Lynnfield, they found two victims in a gray Toyota Camry who suffered injuries from the crash, according to the statement.

After both victims were transferred to Lynn Union Hospital on backboards, the female passenger was released after treatment. The male, who suffered serious chest injuries, was transferred to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, the statement said.

Police then attended to a third victim across the Saugus line, who drove a Toyota Corolla that Chruscicki allegedly struck with enough force to slam him in the left lane's guard rail, spinning his car twice, the statement said. The male victim told police he would seek medical treatment on his own, according to the statement.

Chruscicki also allegedly hit a Chevy sedan, the statement said. The woman driving that car was not hurt, according to the statement.

Immediately after hitting the three cars, Chruscicki crashed his truck into a telephone pole, totaling the vehicle, the statement said. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where police arrested him at about 7 p.m., the statement said.

Police charged Chruscicki with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and a marked lane violation, the statement said.

Chruscicki is scheduled to return to court next Thursday for a dangerousness hearing, according to the statement.

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Pick Sober New Year's Driver

State, county and city law enforcement agencies are ready for the third enhanced enforcement effort, during the New Year's Holiday period, to reduce crashes caused by impaired and other dangerous drivers.

This year's New Year's holiday reporting period extends from 6:00 p.m., Thursday, December 30, through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, January 2, 2011.

According to Oregon's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) statistics, since 1986, about 43 percent of traffic fatalities during the New Year's Holiday period have been in alcohol-involved crashes.

There were no traffic fatalities in Oregon during last year's 102-hour New Year's holiday period; only the second time since 1970. According to FARS statistics, during the last ten years more than five traffic deaths occurred on average each year during the New Year's Holiday period.

Since 1970, the highest number of fatalities for this holiday period happened twice, in 1998 and 1999, when 12 people died in Oregon traffic crashes.

Nationally, during the month of December 2009, 753 people were killed in crashes that involved a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. During the past decade in Oregon, more than 2,000 people have been killed and over 26,000 injured by a drinking or drugged driver.

Alcohol-impaired drivers are not the only concern for law enforcement agencies. Drug impairment and involvement in fatal traffic crashes is reflected in recently released data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Last year, about 1 in 5 drivers who were killed in car crashes tested positive for drugs. Officers trained as Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) are involved in the national "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit, Under Arrest." crackdown to help evaluate possible drug-impaired drivers.

Oregon law enforcement leaders urge all travelers to continue keeping the party off the road, fasten your safety restraints, and always have a designated sober driver to get you to your destination safely. Oregon State Police, Oregon State Sheriff's Association, and Oregon Association Chiefs of Police join ODOT officials in offering these safety tips:
* If you are planning to drink, plan ahead: designate a sober driver or arrange for a taxi to pick you up at a set time. * Volunteer to be a designated driver. * If you are hosting a party, offer plenty of non-alcoholic beverages and help your guests be responsible. Don't let someone who has been drinking get behind the wheel. * Walking or bicycling after dark? Wear bright clothes to help you stand out, and always look both ways before crossing, even at an intersection. * Be watchful when driving for pedestrians on or near the road. * Buckle up, every trip, every time. * Drive defensively at all times.

OSP and ODOT also urge drivers to not let their guard down and be aware of traffic safety corridors, highway work zones, and winter-related road condition changes. Even when workers are not present, all work zone speed limits still apply and fines double. Inactive work zones may have equipment, detours, and incomplete changes in the roadway so drivers need to slow down and be alert. ODOT's travel and road conditions website, www.TripCheck.com, contains up-to-date incident information, weather reports, alerts and other valuable "know before you go" information.

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One-tenth of all motorists admit to drunken driving

In just the past year, one in 10 drivers admit to operating a vehicle while legally drunk – and more than half of those also say they’ve done so more than once.

The findings are from the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety.

At the same time, 10 percent of drivers interviewed for the study admitted to operating under the influence, a full 87 percent saw the act as a “very serious threat,” according to John Townsend, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, in a written release. On the positive side of the issue, however, the nationwide number of deaths due to drunk driving has declined between 2007 and 2009.

“While the number of deaths caused by drunk and drugged driving is on the decline, there are still far too many people who are still driving drunk on our highways and roadways,” Townsend said. “Here are the cold hard facts: One person is killed every half-hour due to drunk driving and every other minute a person is seriously injured in an alcohol related crash.”

The Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 83 percent of respondents said they would lose respect for friends who drove drunk, while nine in 10 survey participants favored proactive measures for those convicted of the act.

“Ninety percent support requiring all drivers who have been convicted of DWI more than once to use an alcohol-ignition interlock – a device that prevents the driver from starting the car if his or her breath contains measurable alcohol – in their cars,” according to the Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The leading case of death for those aged 1 through 34 is motor vehicle crashes, many of which stemmed from alcohol use, the Foundation for Traffic Safety reported.

Last year, 10,839 people died in crashes involving at least one driver with some measure of alcohol in his or her blood – a non-zero blood alcohol concentration, AAA Mid-Atlantic found. That number translates to roughly one-third of all road fatalities. And of the 10,839, almost 70 percent – or 7,478 – involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol count of .15 percent or higher, or of a driver with a blood alcohol level higher than the level limit of .08 who also had a previous alcohol-related traffic conviction.

With New Year’s on the way – and a statistic that shows roughly two-and-a-half times as many people die in alcohol related wrecks on New Year’s Day than in the weeks leading up to the holiday – AAA Mid-Atlantic emphasized the need for caution.

“By taking the proper precautions … area motorists can safely take pleasure in the joys of the season,” Townsend said.

Such precautions include the use of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s SoberRide Campaign, which provides safe rides between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Dec. 28 through Jan. 1, 2011, and of taxicabs, or of friends who pledge to remain sober.

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