UPDATE Thursday 7:34pm | A number of our readers have taken issue with the statistics that are cited in the post below regarding the likelihood of the average American to be injured or killed in an auto accident caused by an impaired driver.
The statistics cited in the story were provided by the Long Beach Police Department. While we are unsure as to the department’s exact source, the Long Beach Post has been able to identify credible sources that back up the statistics provided by the LBPD.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities reported nationwide in 2004, which equates to one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes and represents 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year.
A copy of the NHTSA’s 2005 National Communications Plan, more than half a million people are injured each year in crashes for which the police report cites alcohol as being involved. That means that one American is injured every two minutes in an alcohol-related crash somewhere in the nation, according to the NHTSA.
The plan then goes on to state that unless this trend is reversed, “about three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time during their lives.”
This information is found on page 7 of the plan, which can be viewed by clicking here.
7:41pm | Long Beach police on Tuesday described a saturation patrol effort targeting impaired drivers last Saturday night as “effective.”
The Long Beach Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Division conducted the DUI saturation patrol throughout the city on March 19 beginning at 6 p.m. and culminating at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning, according to information provided by department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani.
The eight-hour operation featured 13 police officers who patrolled the city with their eyes peeled for impaired drivers. By 2 a.m., the officers had made two DUI arrests, one narcotics arrest and one felony arrest; issued citations to eight unlicensed drivers and drivers with suspended licenses; impounded six vehicles; and issued 88 miscellaneous traffic tickets and 41 parking tickets, Massacani said.
The specialized patrol was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety that was made possible by the National Highway Safety Administration.
“When more people drive sober and safely, lives are saved. It’s just that simple,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety, in a prepared statement. “This grant will help make Long Beach just that much safer of a place to work and live.”
DUI saturation patrols are considered by law enforcement officials to be a vital component in the fight against impaired drivers. The average American has a 30 percent chance of being injured or killed by an impaired driver, and impaired drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs cause one death every 30 minutes and one injury every two minutes in the United States, according to statistics provided by the LBPD.
Additional DUI saturation patrols will be conducted in various parts of the city on an ongoing basis. The next one is scheduled to take place on Friday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Additional information on the LBPD’s DUI saturation patrols can be obtained by calling LBPD Traffic Enforcement Section Sgt. Aaron Alu at 562-570-5737.