Since Nov. 15 there have been a slew of alleged drunken driving wrong-way Long Island car accidents, the first of which claimed the life of an off-duty NYPD cop making his way home from work, Newsday reports.
The driver, a 50-year-old Brownsville man, had a blood-alcohol level that was more than three times the legal limit. He has been charged with DWI and reckless driving.
During a span of just seven weeks, 15 wrong-way crashes in Long Island have been linked to drug or alcohol impairment. The youngest of the wrong-way drivers is 19 and the oldest is 54. Incidents include a fatality, a head-on collision, several drivers who attempted to elude capture, and a driver who maintained a speed of at least 100 miles per hour for four minutes before losing control of his vehicle and crashing. According to Newsday, three of the wrong-way drivers were stopped in East Meadow, two in Shirley, two on the Long Island Expressway, two on Sunrise Highway, one on the Northern State Parkway.
The rest were nabbed while driving in Calverton, West Brentwood, Middle Island, Central Islip and Bellmore.
With that said, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports that there has been a more than 40 percent decline in the number of drunk drivers killed in DWI crashes since 1982. The decline flat-lined since the late 1990s and incidents of drunk driver fatalities have crept back up over the last five years. Midnight to 3 a.m. is the deadliest window for alcohol-related fatal crashes, and DWI crashes peak in nighttime hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
According to IIHS, male drivers aged 21 to 40 are far more likely to die in a fatal drunk driving car accident than females. Men were also more likely to be victims with higher (0.15 percent) blood-alcohol levels.
Throughout New York State in 2009, there were 8,439 reports of alcohol-involved car accidents that left 148 dead and injured 4,526. Another 537 New York car accidents were linked to illegal drug use, claiming 6 and leaving 342 injured. Yet another 407 crashes were linked to prescription drug intoxication, killing 7 and causing 247 injuries, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles reports.
We continue to report the dangers resulting from drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These one-way crashes can be particularly devastating and statistics show, unfortunately, the Long Island motorists have cause to worry.
New York City personal injury lawyer Nicholas Rose would like you to know our office is available for a free and confidential consultation if you have been injured. To schedule an appointment, call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673). Nicholas Rose represents accident victims throughout the New York City area, including Long Island, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
