Articles from RID-USA, Inc. National Newsletter

NYPD Policy to Seize DWI Cars a Success

New York City police implemented a policy to impound cars of drunken drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater in February 1999. The zero tolerance policy has led to the confiscation of 4,004 cars from then until July 2001. The first month they seized 167 vehicles.

A police officer, James Schmidt, 41, was one of the drunken drivers. He had backed his van into a liquor store in Queens, punching a hole in the wall in March 1999, and his van was impounded.

This tough policy has been able to reduce fatalities involving drunk drivers by 28% since it was adopted.

Swedish Conviction Rates for DUI Higher

A study conducted in Northern Sweden showed that hospitalized DUI drivers were more likely to be charged for drunken driving than in the U.S. In Sweden 85% of hospitalized drivers with an illegal BAC level were convicted to DUI, in contrast to the U.S., where drivers under similar circumstances are convicted less. The difference is partly due to the fact that police officers are automatically dispatched to crash scenes in Sweden along with ambulance workers. Blood samples are requested liberally in automobile crashes for legal purposes, and are taken at the scene. This is not standard practice in the U.S.

Update on 0.08%

To date, 29 states (does not include Tennessee), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 37 Indian tribes have adopted 0.08% entry level of DWI according to NHTSA’s impaired driving newsletter dated July 1, 2001. One other state is awaiting a governor’s signature.

List of 0.08% States

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State, and D.C.

Reprinted by permission