January 2, 2012
The Virginia Beach police department increased patrols over the weekend in the hopes of deterring drunk drivers from getting on area roadways. According to a report on WAVY-TV 10 News today, those efforts were successful in netting six arrests on DUI charges in about an hour and a half.
Officers added that the checkpoints also allowed them to cite other dangerous drivers for minor infractions. It was estimated that 17 tickets were written at a single checkpoint Saturday night.
Numbers suggest that the increased patrols, in conjunction with the checkpoints, may be reducing alcohol related fatalities. Virginia Beach police department statistics show that DUI fatalities are down in the city by four percent over last year. In 2010, it was estimated that 17 fatal crashes in the area were alcohol-related. That same year, Virginia Beach police say that they arrested 2,429 people on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The problem of drinking and driving is just as bad across the country. The US Department of Health and Human Services suggests that 37 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States are in some way related to alcohol.
The Virginia auto accident attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley ask that we keep each other safe on Virginia highways by not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking. Instead, contact a friend or a cab company for a safe ride home from your location.
