Not a good way to start the New Year. After news of some localities stepping up their efforts to stop New Year’s DUI, the initial reports are that drunk driving this holiday season remained unchanged.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, ten people were killed and 172 others were injured in the 552 investigated crashes from December 30 to January 2. Of those crashes, 79 were alcohol-related and involved two fatalities.
Compared to last year, there was one fewer fatality. However, police say the number of child safety seat violations and DUI arrests went up. State troopers made 285 arrests for driving under the influence. But keep in mind these statistics only include incidents investigated by state troopers and do not include crashes to which other law-enforcement agencies responded.
So what does this all mean? Did sobriety checkpoints in places like the Poconos not work?
As with all statistics, these should be taken with a grain of salt. There are many factors that can lead to increases in drunk driving, including the simple fact that more cars may have been on the road or that there were more police responding to accidents.
If not for efforts like public service announcements, an obvious police presence, and sobriety checkpoints to stop drunk driving during the holidays, the number of New Year’s DUI incidents could have been much higher.
The Pennsylvania State Police released DUI statistics that were sobering. DUI arrests went up and the number of fatalities hardly budged as compared to last year. But numbers do not always tell the whole story.
Related Resources:
- Find a Philadelphia DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- Pennsylvania DUI Laws (FindLaw)
- DUI Sentencing Alternatives in Pennsylvania (FindLaw’s KnowledgeBase)
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