The month of May brings about the first signs of good weather and is often the time of the year where graduation parties, barbeques, and family get-togethers are held. It is also the time of the year when we must turn our attention to safety on the roadways, especially where drinking and driving is concerned. MCC Public Safety would like to share with you some alarming statistics regarding drinking and driving on our roadways:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…
… alcohol-impaired driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the U.S.
…an estimated 3 of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol related traffic accident at some time in their life.
…on average, a driver on the American roadways is killed in an alcohol related traffic accident every 40 minutes.
Research shows that alcohol related crashes cost the public an estimated 114.3 billion dollars annually. This includes an estimated 62.3 billion dollars lost in victim quality of life due to these crashes.
According to the Monroe County Stop-DWI program, 2,937 DWI arrests were made in Monroe County in 2008 leading to the collection of over 1 million dollars in fines. The average reported blood alcohol content of the arrested driver was a reported .149% blood alcohol content (BAC) level (.03 to .07 is considered driving while impaired in New York State while .08 or over is considered DWI).
MCC Public Safety would like to encourage everyone in our college community not to drink and drive. If you are drinking, use a designated driver or take a taxi. In addition, Public Safety invites you to visit the Monroe County Stop DWI webpage at <https://www.monroecounty.gov/safety-stopdwi.php>
For additional information on DWI prevention in our community, we would also encourage you to visit the Mothers Against Drunk Driving website a t<"https://www.madd.org/"> and sign the pledge to end drunk driving on our roadways. MCC Public Safety wishes you a happy, safe and drunk driver free spring and summer season.
Another safety message from your MCC Crime Prevention Team
Lee Struble
Public Safety
05/13/2009 |