Should First Time DUI Offenders Be "Locked Out"?

The National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) believes that it's crucial for everyone convicted of a DUI to have ignition interlock devices installed into their car - even for a first offense. They say that "such a policy could be a major factor in preventing traffic collision deaths, especially those occurring in accidents caused by a wrong-way driver" seeing as 60% of wrong way driver accidents are caused by drunk drivers.

Drunk Driving Accident

Others are saying that it's too much to make the interlock devices mandatory for all first time offenders, though currently 17 states require interlocks for first-time offenders. The alcoholic beverage industry opposes a blanket requirement for first-time offenders, but it supports restrictions for people who have registered exceptionally high blood-alcohol levels.

Both the Distilled Spirits Council and the American Beverage Institute, which represents restaurant chains, support ignition interlocks for first-time convictions of people who posted a blood-alcohol content of .15 or higher.

“The first step to address the number one killer on our roadways is to do what is proven to be effective -- use interlocks for all DWI offenders,” said Deborah Hersman, chairman of the NTSB.

"We believe that judges should be able to distinguish between someone who is one sip over the limit and someone has had nine drinks prior to driving. There should not be a one-size-fits-all penalty for DUI offenders," said Sarah Longwell, managing director of the American Beverage Institute.

Though with drunk driving fatalities actually on the decline is it important for all first time offenders to have such a device? Some say that it's just too expensive and many states that have strict laws don't enforce them because of the cost.


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Ideas To Prevent Drunk Driving This Holiday Season

As the holidays are approaching, there are bound to be more needless drunk driving accidents happening. Here are some idea on how to prevent drunk driving this holiday season.


-Raise Fines: Drunk drivers are typically charged between $7,000-$10,000 for a first offense. Raising fines to $15,000-$20,000 and increase them by thousands of dollars for subsequent offenses should help deter offenders.

-Ignition Interlock Device: If you installed them in every first offender’s vehicle it would accomplish two things at once; it works like a breathalyzer to assess a driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) and then it overrides a car’s ignition so it won’t start if alcohol is present in the driver’s system. It’s a very effective deterrent to drunken driving behavior.

-Buy A Breathalyzer: Some places that serve alcohol have breathalyzer tests available. This way if you're not sure how much you've had, or you've been drinking steadily over a period of time, you can text yourself before you get into your vehicle and know if you're ok or not. But it's important with this to remember that everyone has a different limit. You might have a BAC of .04 and still be too buzzed to drive.

So just remember this holiday season, be careful drinking. Know your limits and know when to stop to give yourself enough time to sober up before driving home. Get a designated driver if possible, and DON'T let anyone who you know is drunk get behind the wheel! They're not just putting their own lives at risk, but anyone on the road!

Nearly 12,000 individuals die each year in America due to drunk driving accidents. 

Over 900,000 people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and a full 1/3 of them are repeat offenders. 

Be smart and be safe.



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Child Taken Into State Custody After Drunk Driving Accident

Gabrielle Moreau, 22, was charged with her second count of drunk driving recently in Shrewsbury, MA. On top of that, she is also being charged with child endangerment while driving drunk, a marked lanes violation and negligent driving.

A state police trooper reported first encountering Ms. Moreau shortly before midnight after responding to a call about a motor vehicle with no lights on being off the roadway on Interstate 290. 

The trooper who arrived found the vehicle parked up an embankment. The trooper also stated there was a strong liquor smell and, upon checking the vehicle, a glass Bud Light bottle was in plain view at the foot of her j2 year-old toddler's car seat. Moreau refused a breath test, according to police.

While Moreau was treated at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for injuries sustained in the accident, her daughter was taken into state custody by The State Department of Children and Families (DCF).


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AHL Player Arrested For Drunk Driving

Hockey player Riley Sheahan was arrested for drunk driving toward the end of October, which might explain the purple Teletubby costume he was wearing at the time of his arrest. And although the situation might be humorous, what he did was definitely not. 

Sheahan, a player on the Detroit Red Wings and a native of Canada, was using a teammates ID to go drinking because, at only 20 year-old, it's not legal for him to drink in this country. When he was arrested, Sheahan had a mind-boggling BAC of .3 which is just under four times the legal limit! It is also almost double the BAC of what would be considered "super drunk".

He was arrested after driving down a street the wrong way in Grand Rapids Michigan. He pleaded not guilty, but since he qualified as “super drunk,” which means he had a BAC of 0.17 or higher, he could face up to 180 days in jail. He could also face deportation, as he is a Canadian citizen.


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Drunk Driver Crashes Into Parked Police Cars

Two police offers from Palm Bay were on the side of the road Monday night, assisting a car that was previously disabled. As the police officers helped the car that had been struck, 61 year-old Errol Brace crashed his Chevy Colorado into the marked police cars whose emergency lights were flashing. 

Brace was believed to be drunk and charges are still pending. He was taken to the hospital with injuries from the crash. 

The two police officers, Police Cpl. Floyd Burke and Officer Chris Maloy, were both uninjured, however one of the cruisers is quite possibly totaled and the other had minor damage.

As court records show, Brace had previously been charged with drunk driving back in 2003, but got off with only paying a fine. 



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Drunk Driver Carries Man On Windshield For Two Miles

51 year-old Sherri Wilkins was driving drunk down a California street when she struck a pedestrian. But as if that weren't bad enough, Wilkins drove over two miles with the man "partially embedded into her windshield" as police say.

Left: Philip Moreno;  Right: Sherri Wilkins

Phillip Moreno, the man Wilkins' struck during the accident, had fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at a local hospital soon after the accident. He was only 31.

Wilkins will be heading to court and, as Sgt. Watt states, might just be adding a felony hit and run to her list of offenses, which currently include manslaughter and drunk driving. Her BAC the night of the accident was twice the legal limit. She was "driving home from work" according to police report.

As no surprise, Wilkins is a repeat offender (as are most drunk drivers). Back in 2010, she was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and being under the influence of a controlled substance.


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Drunk Driver Passes Out With Foot On The Brake

This very easily could have ended horribly. But luckily when 25 year old drunk driver Justin M. Korsmeyer passed out behind the wheel of his car, he had his foot on the brake! Police responded to a call about a vehicle stopped in the middle of Highway 52. When they arrived the found Korsmeyer intoxicated and passed out behind the wheel and could not be woken. Authorities had to use a lock-out kit to get inside the vehicle which was still in gear. They not only found open alcoholic containers, but also loaded firearms. 

“This incident could have very easily cost someone their life, and I am grateful no one was injured.  I have to thank the Miller County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this investigation,” says Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman.

For example, while the Sherrif's office was bringing Korsmeyer to justice, they came across a 16 year-old drunk driver who was speeding down lanes of oncoming traffic and "had a blood alcohol content 4 times the legal limit for their age" (which, at 16, shouldn't it be 0?). 

Korsmeyer was held in the Maries County Jail, and issued a citation for DWI-prior offender, and he may face additional charges.


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Thanksgiving And Alcohol-Related Fatalities

Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and you know what that means. Everyone's going to be having a good time hanging out with family and friends, and probably drinking, so be careful this Thursday. Reports from Denver Colorado show that drunk driving incidences jump an average of 54% on Thanksgiving and is now considered one of the deadliest for alcohol -related fatalities. (Only New Year's ranks higher). 

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimate 2-3 times more people die during the holidays involving alcohol-related incidences. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that 1,200 people will be killed and 25,000 will be injured between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day in traffic accidents caused by alcohol.

Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), has monitored more than 258,000 Hardcore Drunk Drivers for compliance with court-mandated sobriety. The company has launched their annual public awareness campaign, Sober Days for the Holidays, to educate courts and communities about the increased risks their data trending shows.

AMS reports that the trend each year is for courts to increase supervision during the holidays by enforcing Sober Days, which are defined as a 24-hour period where continuous testing confirms no drinking and no attempt to circumvent testing. The AMS technology is known as SCRAMx, and it tests an offender's perspiration 48 times a day to measure for drinking. The testing frequency is what allows courts to confirm Sober Days for the highest-risk offenders.

"Holidays mean family stress, work stress, financial stress—and they all hit simultaneously," Mike Iiams, chairman and CEO of AMS. "Add an endless list of social temptations, and someone with a drinking problem, who naturally turns to alcohol to cope with stress, is going to struggle this time of year."

So don't be part of the problem. Cops will be breaking down on drunk driving - have a plan so you're not stuck behind the wheel drunk! Here are a few ideas:
-Have a designated driver, or know someone who can give you a ride home
-Stop drinking to give yourself enough time to sober up before you drive
-Plan to stay at someone's house if you're too far from home to get there safely
-Call a cab if you need to!

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/19/4996632/driving-on-thanksgiving-drinking.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/19/4996632/driving-on-thanksgiving-drinking.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/19/4996632/driving-on-thanksgiving-drinking.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/19/4996632/driving-on-thanksgiving-drinking.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/19/4996632/driving-on-thanksgiving-drinking.html#storylink=cpy

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Drunk Driver Jailed For Eight Years For Killing Aspriring Model

Wilfred Museka, 31, was drving the wrong way down down a highway in the UK when colliding into the vehicle of Rebecca Caine, 20, from Leeds. Rebecca died from multiple head injuries from the head-on collision that happened in Littleborough, Greater Manchester.

Museka, originally from Zimbabwe, was heading home from a family party. Rebecca was heading into Manchester to see a friend perform at a night club. He had never held a full driving licence and had 11 previous convictions for driving matters including driving with excess alcohol. When tested after the accident, his BAC was over twice the legal limit. 

Left: Zimbabwe nativeWilfred Museka, 31 y/o.   Right: Rebecca Cain, an aspiring model, 20 y/o

Rebecca's family states, "She was a beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her. She was embarking on a modelling career and would be finishing her final year of her business degree at Leeds University. Rebecca was a bright light that attracted everything to her with her infectious laugh and her beaming smile. She saw the best in everyone and was loved by hundreds of friends. The worst part is the emptiness and the total waste of a beautiful life. She was only 20 when she died."

Museka pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.


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Reminder For The Holidays - Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving!

We're rounding one of the busiest seasons of the year! Shopping, traveling to visit family and friends, and just generally preparing for the holidays. Last year in New Hampshire, 13 people died from car accidents between Thanksgiving and New Years. If you're going to drink during the holidays, make sure you either give yourself enough time to sober up before you drive, have a designated driver, or have a couch to crash on at the end of the night! Below are some tips from the NH State Police department for this upcoming holiday season.

The consumption of alcohol, drugs and driving just don’t mix. Saving lives on our roads is a top priority and we need everyone’s help to do it. That’s why the NH State Police is joining with other state, local and county highway safety officials to remind everyone of some simple steps they can take to enjoy a safe and festive holiday without jeopardizing their life and the lives of the others who may be on the road: 

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
• Before drinking,  please designate a sober driver and give that person your keys;
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
• Use your community’s Sober Rides program where available;
• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact  law enforcement via 911;
• And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Driving a vehicle while impaired is not worth the risk of killing yourself or someone else.  This holiday season don’t let your year end in an arrest or even worse, a tragic death.

Whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s not worth the risk.

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Pregnant Woman Killed By A Drunk Driver On The Way To Give Birth

Tiffany Ann Woodham, 19, was 9 months pregnant and in labor on her way to the hospital this past Sunday when her vehicle was struck by a drunk driver.

37-year-old Thomas Jeremy Dick, smashed his pick-up into the van Tiffany was riding in. The fatal accident occurred just after Tiffany had called her mother to let her know she was having contractions. There were three other passengers in the van with Tiffany. Two were taken to the local hospital in stable condition. The third had serious injuries and was med-flighted out.

Tiffany didn't make it, and while the doctors tried to perform an emergency C-Section to save her unborn daughter "Novalee", the baby had also died due to serious injuries sustained in the crash.

Dick was going 20 miles over the speed limit when the accident occurred and had a BAC of .131 - almost twice the legal limit. Witnesses say Dick was driving recklessly, and had more than once driving his truck off the road. Dick, who suffered several bruises and cuts, faces charges of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, DUI involving serious bodily injury, DUI crash involving property damage and DUI.

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Drunk Driver Crashes Car And Leaves Friend To Die

A Toronto man lost the court appeal of his 12-year sentence yesterday. He was in jail for criminal negligence causing death, impaired driving causing death, driving while disqualified and breach of an undertaking to abstain from consumption of alcohol. Lawrence Bush, an unlicensed driver, was being reckless with a friend driving while under the influence. He ended up crashing his car upside down into water and left his friend to die.
Bush escaped, but two of his passengers were trapped in the car, including friend Bruno, who was unconscious from the alcohol and whose head was underwater.

Bush refused to help his friends who were stuck until they would agree to a fabricated story to tell police, the court said. The other passenger went for help and when police arrived more than 20 minutes later Bush denied being the driver or knowing any of the passengers.


This was only ten days after his 8th drunk driving conviction! He was previously driving while suspended, and also ad instances of reaching speeds of 170kmp (that's just over 100mph) while driving drunk with friends in the car.

Though the sentence was originally supposed to be only 10 years, Superior Court Judge Joseph Donohue sentenced Bush to 12 years for his "outrageous" conduct - it's the highest sentence Ontario's top court has ever upheld for a fatal drunk driving case.

Bush tried to appeal, stating that the 12 year sentence was beyond the normal range. Although the sentence was "undoubtedly high," the Appeal Court's three-judge panel said Bush's "egregious" behavior justifies it. As the court stated, "It endangered the community. It was fuelled by excessive overconsumption of drugs and alcohol."


If you ask me, 12 years isn't nearly enough.



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Check Out My New Website!

Just a side note, my new website is up and running! It has all my great Rock Report tips, as well as my Stop Drunk Driving Now and Right Now Anti-Bullying information as well!

Check it out at http://ronbellanti.com/

Man Charged With Murder - Accused Of Drunk Driving

52-Year Old David Gurley cause an accident on Sunday in Louisville which involved four cars. He was driving a Ford Explorer and rammed the back of a motorcyclist who was stopped at a red light. He also hit a sedan which caused it to crash into yet another vehicle. 

The motorcyclist was taken to a near by hospital with life-threatening injuries, and later died because of them. The people in the other two vehicles sustained non life-threatening injuries.

Gurley smell of alcohol and admitted to drinking prior that night, and had a BAC of .295. Reports say he did not show any signs of remorse after the accident. He stepped out of his car and demanded a light for his cigarette, and never bothered to check his, or any other vehicle for damage, and never bothered to check on the motorists involved.

He has been charged with murder, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, four counts of wanton endangerment and one count of failing to maintain required motor vehicle insurance.

And hopefully they lock him up to make him pay for what he's done, but something tells me he's not the type of individual who will be at all affected by prison.


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Drunk Driver Causes Accident Killing Two People

34-year-old Leodegario Hernandez Juarez was driving while intoxicated Monday night, causing a "violent" three car accident that killed two people in Texas. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office identified the dead as 49-year-old James Carr and 43-year-old Lashun Russell, both of Dallas. Survivors of the crash, including an 8-year-old girl, were taken to various hospitals to be treated for serious injuries.

Juarex, driving a Ford F-150, ran a red light and crashed into two other cars. The impact caused one of the cars to wrap around a metal utility pole. 

"I saw the truck just run the light, and I saw when it hit the car," said witness Ismail Tores.

Police said witnesses tackled and detained Juarez, who attempted to run from the scene after the crash. Jail records indicate he was in the United States illegally.

Juarez was arrested at the scene on two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault. 

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Drunk Driving Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics for the state of Massachusetts when it comes to driving under the influence. 

• Total alcohol impaired driving fatalities in 2010 - 114

• Under 21 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities - 14

• Percent of Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities Involving high BAC drivers (.15+) - 72.2%

• Percent of Drivers in Fatal Drunk Driving Crashes Involving Repeat Offenders (BAC .08-.14) - 20%

• Percent of Drivers in Fatal Drunk Driving Crashes Involving Repeat Offenders (BAC .15+) - 80%

• Under 18 arrested for driving under the influence in 2010 - 78

• Total arrested for driving under the influence -  11634

Click here for more statistics, or to check what they are for your state.

19-Year-Old Kills Two While Drunk Driving

19-Year-Old Carmen Elena Chavez was driving drunk in L.A. on early Sunday and crashed her car, killing two innocent bystanders. 

Chavez had been out partying Saturday night with a group of friends before her, and four friends, hopped into the 1989 Mercedes Benz which later killed two people. 

She was speeding and tried to make a right turn and crashed into two homeless people who were sleeping on the street, trapping them under the car and dragging them about 50 feet before crashing the car to a stop. 

Most of the people in the car fled except for Chavez and the cars owner - both were arrested at the scene. Chavez was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence and was booked in Los Angeles County Jail.

The homeless pair had to be removed from under the car using the jaws of life.. both were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.


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Drunk Driver Kills 5 Orphans - 7 Dead Total

Thirty-year-old Alexander Maximov crashed into a bus stop in Southern Moscow, Russia, killing five orphan teens (ages 14-18), their guardian Olga Shirshova, and her husband. The incident happend in September after, Maximov admitted, going on a two day drinking binge. And what's even more pathetic is that Maximov had just gotten his license back in March after loosing it in 2010 for another account of drunk driving. 


Maximov is now being sued by lawyer Igor Trunov on behalf of the orphanage the children came from. Relatives of Olga are also seeking damages. Trunov said he hoped to collect a total of 73,863,649 rubles and 44 kopeks on behalf of Children's Home No. 7, where the teens lived: 23.86 million rubles to cover expenses incurred in burying the teens and 10 million rubles in moral damages for each of the teens. In total, Maximov is being sued for $2.67 million (US) which is about 84 million rubles.

Police are considering charging Maximov with multiple counts of manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol, which carries a punishment of up to nine years in prison followed by a three-year ban on driving.

Maximov stated that he "should shoot himself for his actions."

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What Are The Drunk Driving Laws Of Your Home State?

Just in case you had any questions about the drunk driving laws in your state, check out this easy-to-read chart that breaks it down for you.

Click Here for the chart


More information:

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have per se laws defining it as a crime to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above a proscribed level, 0.08 percent.

License suspension or revocation traditionally follows conviction for alcohol-impaired driving. Under a procedure called administrative license suspension, licenses are taken before conviction when a driver fails or refuses to take a chemical test. Because administrative license suspension laws are independent of criminal procedures and are invoked right after arrest, they've been found to be more effective than traditional post-conviction sanctions. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia have administrative license suspension laws.

Forty-five states permit some offenders to drive only if their vehicles have been equipped with ignition interlocks. These devices analyze a driver's breath and disable the ignition if the driver has been drinking.

In 30 states, multiple offenders may forfeit vehicles that are driven while impaired by alcohol. Forty-three states and Washington D.C. have laws prohibiting the driver, passengers or both from possessing an open container of alcohol in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Drunk Driver Crashed School Bus With Children On Board

This seems to be happening a lot lately.. 47-year-old James Sommer was a Long Island school bus driver who crashed his bus while driving for a field trip. He had a group of 7th graders and a teacher from Plainedge Middle School on board at the time of the incident. Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, but a 12-year-old girl was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries.

Sommer was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15 years or younger (Leandra's Law), driving while intoxicated while operating a school bus with students on board, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Another school bus driver was arrested Oct. 11when he crashed an empty school bus near 60 of the Long Island Expressway in Ronkonkoma. Police found an open bottle of vodka on the bus. 

On Oct. 4, a school bus driver crashed into a home just after leaving a Catholic elementary school with five children on board. He was arrested the next day on several charges. 

Check out the links for information on the other two school bus stories, and click the link below to watch videos for them, as well as check out the original Sommer's article.

Click Here

Drunk Driver Crashes With Three Kids And Flees

Zona Taylor, 43, was allegedly driving drunk this past Saturday night. With her, she had her own son, 8 years old, and two grandchildren ages 4 and 6. She also had another adult in the car with her as well. 

Zona Taylor, photo taken after her accident and arrest.

She ended up crashing into another vehicle, minor-ly injuring the other driver and the three kids in her car. She then grabbed the children and tried to get away on foot. Taylor was arrested shortly after the crash in a nearby town.

The children were brought to the hospital and then released to other relatives. Taylor, however, was charged with a DWI, aggravated DWI with a child 15 years or younger, leaving the scene of an accident with an injury, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Leandra's law, which makes it "an automatic felony on the first offense to drive drunk with a person age 15 or younger inside the vehicle" could send Taylor to jail for up to four years.


Click Here for the original article.

Drunk Driving Simulator

This is a great idea, and should be available at high schools and colleges across the US! It's a drunk driving simulator, so that you can get behind the wheel (safely) while being "under the influence". This was set up this past week at Muskegon Community College and Baker College  in Michigan for students to test out in honor of National Collegiate Alcohol Liability Week.

The simulator is provided by AAA, and any students who participate will be given pizza an iTunes gift cards (because what college student doesn't need that!) and have the chance to enter a drawing for free gas. 

On top of the simulator, there is also an outdoor course where students can wear beer goggles and try their luck at driving to see how it feels.

As Lt. Jon Gale states, “It’s to show students their inability to drive safely while intoxicated.” 


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Addiction: Men vs Women

Addiction was once seen as a "man's problem" but recent research has done testing on the effects of addiction on both men and women and who does better when it comes to addiction recovery. Generally speaking, women have a tendency to fall into chemical addiction faster than men, however they are less likely to struggle and tend to do just as well in recovery as men do. Here are the results overall.



Prevalence: Winner - Women

Men are twice as likely to addicted to drugs (though it's about even when it comes to prescription drugs). Though when it comes to alcohol abuse, it skyrockets to men being about three times as likely as women to be addicted. 


Risk Factor: Winner - Tie

Studies have found that men tend to use drugs to amplify positive moods and cope with social and behavioral problems, while women are more likely to self-medicate emotional and psychological issues. Anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder and eating disorders more commonly affect women and can increase their risk of drug use. Men, by contrast, are more often affected by antisocial personality disorder, which may or may not increase the risk of drug use.


Barriers To Treatment: Winner - Men

Both men and women face significant barriers to treatment, but studies show that women who abuse drugs are less likely to seek help. Practical concerns such as cost, child-care arrangements, lack of social support, and responsibilities at home and work, along with the heightened stigma of being a female addict, are among the hurdles women face.


Response to Treatment: Winner - Tie

Once women find their way into treatment, they are just as likely as men to stay there and have comparable abstinence and relapse rates as men. Some studies suggest that women have the upper hand in recovery, with shorter relapse periods and greater willingness to seek help after a relapse. Like men, women may benefit from services that are sensitive to their specific needs; for example, family/group therapy, parenting education, treatment for mental disorders and other supportive approaches.



Click Here for the original article and some more great information 

Drunk School Bus Driver Crashes Bus

Every morning you send you kids off to school with a bus driver you're supposed to be able to trust to keep your kids safe. That may not be the case in a South Carolina town. 61-year-old school bus driver Margaret Means was driving drunk with a BAC limit of .17 - just over double the legal limit! 

Means spun the school bus out of control before crashing it in a ditch. Though there were no students on the bus at the time of the crash, she had just dropped off about 100 students less than an hour before the incident.
"When you are transporting other people, that puts a bigger perspective because that puts so many other people's lives at risk when you do that," said Lance Corporal Brent Kelly.

Drinking and driving is never a good decision, but when your job is to safely get people from point A to point B it's completely unacceptable. Even more so when it's children.


Click Here to see the original article

Hero Campaign To Stop Drunk Driving

Bill Elliot created the Hero Campaign after his son John was killed by a drunk driver. The aim is in order to raise awareness of and prevent drunk driving. This Sunday at the Ocean City boardwalk, two thousand people showed up to help support the Hero campaign, the Elliot family, as well as everyone else who has ever lost someone due to drunk driving.

"We want to end every parent's worst nightmare we want to make sure no one else has to suffer the tragedy we did or all the people that are on our memory banner today," said Hero Campaign founder Bill Elliot.



Click Here for the original article 

Drunk Driver Drives Flaming Car To Gas Station

This incident is a little closer to home! 49-year-old Barbara Ann Bearden from Weymouth was charged for quite a few things this past Sunday after driving drunk:  operating under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, leaving the scene of an accident after causing property damage, and failure to stay within marked lanes.

While driving down route 3A, Bearden hit a guardrail, most likely multiple times, which popped both her passenger side tires so she was left driving on her rims. Debris from her car was found in several areas along route 3A. She decided to drive her car, on fire, to a Mobile gas station in Hingham (makes perfect sense). 

The gas station attendant, as well as a local resident who was pumping his gas only 15 feet from where Bearded parked her flaming car, used fire extinguishers to put out the flames before police showed up.

Bearden, who smelled of alcohol, was arrested after failing multiple sobriety tests. She admitted she had been drinking earlier.

It's a miracle no one was killed, and nothing blew up.



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Man Killed Boy While Drunk Driving - Not His First!!

54 year-old Ricky Weeden turned himself over to authorities two days after running down two boys who were crossing the street. Rayeshon Williams, aged four, died at the crash while his ten-year-old brother, Jayshard Conner, was hospitalized for his injuries.

The sad part is this is not the first time Weeden has killed someone while being behind the wheel! Back in 1983 he killed two people and had been charged for careless and imprudent driving. He has about five separate occasions in which he was convicted of drunk driving.

Unfortunately, because he turned himself in 48 hours after the incident, there's no way to tell if he was, in fact, drunk at the time of the crash that killed four-year-old Rayeshon.

These are the people that need to be kept off the streets. After the first time actually KILLING innocent people by being to careless to not drive drunk, his licences should have been revoked completely. Though I'm sure that wouldn't have stopped him, but anything after that should have led to an arrest and the child that he just killed would still be alive. 



Click Here for the original article

Teen Drunk Driving Descreases As Gas Prices Increase

While we may all be feeling the staggering gas prices hitting our wallets pretty hard, it appears there might actually be a benefit to the gas prices on the rise. The incidences of teens drunk driving has dramatically decreased, in fact it's down 54% from twenty years ago.

We all know the economy is down, and teens just don't have as many jobs to get to to need to be driving so most teens just haven't been driving as much as they use to be. It's also become a harder process for teens to get their licenses, and have more restrictions like driving at night, passenger restrictions, and longer schooling. 

Back in 2010, 22% of high school seniors reported not driving at all in an average week, up from 15% not driving in 2000. And based on studies, Males are more likely to drive drunk than females. 



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Honors Student Kills Two In Drunk Driving Accident

18-year-old Takunda Mavima, a graduate of Wyoming High School, Michigan, and an honors student, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for killing two of his classmates.. while driving drunk. Krysta Howell, 15, and Timothy See, 17 were killed in the fatal crash that wounded three others aged 16-18. However, many believe that the punishment is too great for such a young kid, even the victims families asked for the judge to be more lenient. 

As Tim See's sister Laura states, "I am begging you to let Takunda make something of himself in the real world-- don't send him to prison and get hard and bitter, that boy has learned his lesson a thousand times over and he'll never make the same mistake again."

His punishment is already on the state's low-end guidelines for the crime he committed.

Takunda appologized to the court, "I just want to say I'm so sorry I took two bright, intelligent, wonderful people out of this world... I'm sorry."


A worst-case scenario of mixing alcohol and driving..


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Facts And Tips For Drunk Driving

This is a great little site I found that has tons of tips and advice about drunk driving. All deaths caused by drunk driving are 100% preventable. All it takes is making the right choice. Below is just a small sample of some of the great things in this article, so check out the full page to get all the great info!

Facts:
The relative risk of death for drivers in single-vehicle crashes with a high BAC is 385 times that of a zero-BAC driver and for male drivers the risk is 707 times that of a sober driver, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).


Solutions:
Automatic license revocation appears to be the single most effective measure to reduce drunk driving.

Mandating the installation of interlock devices that prevent intoxicated persons from starting a vehicle.


If You Must Drive, Stay Completely Sober:
Know your limit. If you are not sure, experiment at home with your spouse or some other responsible individual. Explain what you are attempting to learn. Most people find that they can consume one drink per hour without any ill effects.

Accept a drink only when you really want one. If someone tries to force a drink on you, ask for a non-alcohol beverage instead. If that doesn't work, "lose" your drink by setting it down somewhere and leaving it.

Protect Others:
Volunteer to be a designated driver.

Don't ever let your friends drive drunk. Take their keys, have them stay the night, have them ride home with someone else, call a cab, or do whatever else is necessary - but don't let them drive!



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