New York State Police have joined law enforcement officials nationally to crack down on impaired driving this holiday season. According to a news report in the Troy Record, state police in New York are participating in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which runs through Tuesday Jan. 1. During this campaign, drivers statewide can expect to see sobriety checkpoints along with DUI saturation patrols.
In addition, state troopers will be watching for distracted drivers, individuals who are not wearing seatbelts and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” which requires drivers to use extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles that are stopped in or on the side of the road. State police will also be looking out for underage motorists who are drinking and driving.
Holidays and Drunk Driving
Each holiday season, particularly between Thanksgiving and New Year, hundreds of lives are lost due to drunk drivers. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, nationally, over the past five years, an average of 300 people died in drunk driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year. Alcohol-impaired deaths make up more than 25 percent of all crash fatalities. In 2016, 781 people lost their lives in drunk-driving-related crashes in the month of December alone.
Driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. During the holiday season, law enforcement agencies will increase patrols and drivers will begin seeing a set of ads depicting the consequences of driving drunk. In 2017, in New York State alone, 645 people were arrested for driving while intoxicated and 10 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes during the holiday season.
Mobile App and Safety Tips
Officials are encouraging New York drivers to use a free smartphone app from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee called “Have a Plan.” This is a mobile app that will connect drivers to ridesharing or taxi services in their areas. This free app and the NYS STOP-DWI Foundation also allow people to designate drivers, call a cab or rideshare and to review the consequences of impaired driving. One can use the app to report a drunk or drugged driver. The app is available for Apple, Android and Windows smartphones.
Here are a few tips to stay safe on the roadway this holiday season:
• Drivers should plan their way home even before they begin to celebrate. Designate a sober driver to take you home. If you have been drinking and don’t have a designated driver, use a taxi or ridesharing service. You may also use your community’s sober ride program.
• Do not take a chance even if you live close by. If you have been drinking, do not drive.
• If you are hosting a party, make sure no one leaves your home intoxicated. Take the keys away from someone who has been drinking too much.
• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement. You may be saving other lives.
A victim injured by a drunk or negligent driver may be able to seek compensation for damages including but not limited to medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by a reckless or impaired driver or due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.troyrecord.com/news/state-police-begin-drunk-driver-crackdown-campaign/article_1e44ef96-ffb9-11e8-8907-b3a3b52d658a.html