What’s Being Done to Prevent DUIs in New York?

Drunk driving continues to be one of the leading causes of accidents on New York roads. Reports from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (NYDMV) show that in 2013—the last year drunk driving data is available—there were 8,368 New York car accidents related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Those crashes resulted in 387 deaths and 4,248 serious injuries.

Our state lawmakers and agencies have worked to address this issue by enacting strict rules and policies aimed at deterring motorists from getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

Leandra’s Law was passed in 2009, making it a felony offense to operate a vehicle under the influence of alcohol with a child under age 15 in the vehicle. Three years later, the NYDMV enacted as policy that established license revocation periods ranging from 10 years to life for repeat offenders.

The latter policy was recently upheld by the state’s appellate courts. Some argued that the revocations overstepped the NYDMV’s boundaries between creating laws and implementing rules. According to the New York Law Journal, the court disagreed and stated the revocations met guidelines established by the agency’s rules and several precedent-setting cases.

We are happy to see rules against drunk driving being upheld. But to keep drunk drivers off of our roads, each and every one of us has to do our part. The New York car accident lawyers at William Mattar Law Offices remind you to always arrange for a safe ride home before you go out on the town.