The holiday saw a great number of DUI-related stops and citations in several areas in Washington state.
Because the holiday season is often seen as the most dangerous precisely because of the high number of DUI-related accidents, law enforcement agencies put more troops out in the streets. In certain areas such as Battle Ground, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Washougal, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol pulled over 880 people within 215 hours. Out of these incidents, 48 arrests were made due to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Over the years, the number of fatal traffic accidents caused by intoxicated drivers has doubled. In 2011, 78 crashes caused by intoxicated drivers had resulted in fatalities while in 2016, the number had increased to 171.
While the official 2017 DUI accident numbers have not be unveiled yet, law enforcement has announced that severe injuries caused by intoxicated or impaired drivers decreased. Still, until the numbers are out, we are not able to estimate just how 2017 fared compared to other years. Regardless of the final results, we still saw a high number of drivers being pulled over for driving under the influence.
While officials are happy that the number of fatalities and serious injuries has decreased, they believe that the increased patrol effort may have had something to do with it.
Through the year of 2018, our staff hopes to see fewer serious and deadly accidents across Washington. It’s because we care about your safety and the safety of your friends and loved ones that we often report on accidents that may help to shed light on the risks.
Drunk or intoxicated driving is still one of the most concerning activities out there. Along with distracted driving, intoxication causes more accidents than all other factors. We remain concerned as to how 2018 will do when it comes to deadly accidents but are confident that drivers are better now than they have ever been. With the positive developments we have seen taking place in auto safety technology we are also confident that fewer accidents will result in injuries going forward.
Still, it’s up to us whether we join in the fight against accidents or not.
