Saturday, January 2, 2010

New Year's Fatalities Down‎ Across the Country

I just found this, from The Sun, "New Year's Heave: A SCANTILY-clad girl lies sprawled semi-conscious in the snow early yesterday as the UK celebrated New Year with yet another night of drunken shame":

That reminded me of the story from the news in California yesterday. From the Los Angeles Daily News, "CHP: DUI Arrests Up This Year, Deaths Down":

No one was killed on Los Angeles County roads this New Year's Eve, according to California Highway Patrol statistics. Last year, one person was killed during the same time period, between 6:01 p.m. Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. Jan. 1.
Statewide, deaths were down from 11 last year to 7 this year, according to CHP.

Although deaths were down, driving under the influence arrests were up across the state and in Los Angeles County. Statewide, CHP made 108 DUI arrests this year compared to 88 last year. In Los Angeles County, 527 DUI arrests were made this year, up from 438 last year.
But see also, the Gainesville Times, "DUI Enforcement Having an Effect; New Year’s Fatalities Down":

As on every New Year’s Eve, local law enforcement will be out in force tonight with roadblocks and patrols targeting impaired driving. And the familiar sight of flashing blue lights on the last night of the year appears to have had
some effect.

"It seems in the last few years that people who may have driven drunk have figured out that law enforcement is out in large numbers," said Sgt. Dean Allen, post commander for the Georgia State Patrol’s Gainesville post. "There’s a few who still get out there, but most of them know not to do it."

There are no figures immediately available for DUI arrests in Hall County on New Year’s Eve, but data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggest that nationally, alcohol-related traffic fatalities on New Year’s Eve are down.
Hat Tip: Newsreal.

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