Buffalo Courts Use of Alcohol Monitoring Devices Gets National Attention

Sept. 28, 2012

New York boasts some of the toughest drunk driving laws in the nation. From Leandra’s Law to the use of specialized monitoring devices to ensure drunk drivers stay away from alcohol, the state has long been finding new and improved ways to take drunk drivers off of the road.

Recently one of these methods of deterrence caught national attention, when the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration highlighted the use of transdermal alcohol monitoring bracelets on drunk drivers by Buffalo’s 8^th District Court system in one of their recent reports.

The Herald reports the court began using the devices in 2006, and officials have seen great success with the program. In the six year period since the program began, more than 4,400 individuals have been fitted with one of the devices, which randomly tests moisture on the skin’s surface for alcohol. The report claimed over the same six year time period, there was a more than 18 percent decrease in the number of deaths caused by alcohol-related crashes in New York, which may mean a reduction in the chances of having a Buffalo Car Accident.

The report lauded the 8^th District for its successful use of the devices in conjunction with other techniques, such as: ignition interlock devices, electronic house arrest monitoring, biomarker monitoring, and treatment programs.

The Car Accident Lawyers with the William Mattar Law Offices would like to thank the court system for being such a significant part to the reduction of drunk driving in the Buffalo area in recent years!