I'm happy to chime in. What would you like to know? Is this strictly for me? Or, can other law enforcement officers give opinions as well? I think we have about 6?...maybe 7 officers here?
DWI. Well, we've pretty much all had a few too many and thought we were okay to drive. Hopefully we've caught ourselves before getting behind the wheel and have made other arrangements. I know a LOT of us have not...and have gotten away with it. The problem? One day it catches up to you. On average, a first DWI costs 10k to pay for (all expenses included). Personally, I'd much rather put that towards a child's college education, a new house, bills, ...or a NEW CAMARO!
Or, even worse, you could have too much, get behind the wheel, and crash into a family...hurting yourself, the family, or even killing someone. A person might not view themselves as being "bad people" for drinking and driving, but how would someone view a drunk driver who took your brothers or sisters life? ...or your wife/husbands life?...or your child's life.
Too many people die unnecessary deaths on our highways each day. Take away alcohol and a major cause of accidents is GONE. Here...
* Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among youth ages 15-20. There were 7,460 youth motor vehicle deaths in 2005. (This includes both drivers and passengers.)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* Twenty-eight percent (28%) of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 had been drinking.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* For young drivers (15-20 years old), alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 2005, 24% of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12% of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* Drivers are less likely to use seat belts when they have been drinking. In 2005, 64% of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed in crashes, 74% were unrestrained.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* It is estimated that 24,560 lives have been saved by minimum drinking age laws since 1975.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* In 2005, an estimated 906 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* During the last 30 days, 28.5% of high school students nationwide had ridden one or more times in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
* In 2005, 39% of fatal crashes (all age groups) involved alcohol. The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than three times higher at night than during the day (59% vs. 18%).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* In 2005, 30% of all fatal crashes (all age groups) during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 52% on weekends.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
I'm not out to "get anyone" in the job that I do. I'm out to keep our cities and streets safe. I don't stick my chest out and use my badge to get what I want or push people around. I do my job...which I love...plain and simple. I like helping people.
I've told ya'll about the accident where the guy in the Dodge Neon SRT8 (or something like that) t-boned the Mazda 3 carrying father and child who had just gone to get ice cream? Son was airlifted with a ruptured spleen including other injuries and Dad was transported to a hospital with major injuries blocks away...and was eventually airlifted to where his son was since they could not handle dads injuries. I never knew the outcome of those two.
The DWI driver of the Dodge had two broken ankles...and one of his feet looked like it was going to be amputated. Don't know about that one either...how it ended up.
I don't really like doing DWI's since they take so long and there are so many legalities surrounding the process (court over HGN, SFST, etc), but getting that person off the street and the habitual people behind bars (the steel kind...not the alcohol kind) is what I want to do. I just want safer streets for everyone. We all DESERVE to be able to go from point A to point B knowing full well that we don't have to worry about a drunk person hitting us and killing us or our passengers.
It's serious. We all need to think before we drive. Have a plan of action. If you are driving, limit yourself. If you are the type of person that can't limit themselves, figure it out before you start drinking! Don't kill me! Don't kill my wife! Don't kill my kids!!!!!
Public service announcement over.
Kudos to you Boomer for staying in tonight. Much respect for ya.