OHS Reminds Motorists ‘Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving’

Dover –  As 2013 comes to a close, the Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is reminding motorists to celebrate the holidays responsibly and designate a sober driver because ‘Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving’.

There are two DUI checkpoints scheduled as follows:

  • Friday December 27th   Newark ( DSP & New Castle County DUI Task Force)- checkpoint
  • Tuesday December 31st    Newark (New Castle County DUI Task Force)- checkpoint

The Safe Family Holiday DUI Victim tree received 1 more red bulb this week. There is now a total of 9 green bulbs and 2 red bulb on each DUI Victim tree.  Each green bulb represents an alcohol related injury and a red bulb represents an alcohol related fatality on Delaware roadways between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.  Last year, 3 people were killed and 54 were injured in alcohol-related crashes in Delaware during the holiday season.

Since January 1st of this year, 96 people have lost their lives on Delaware roadways in 92 fatal traffic crashes, compared to 106 people killed in 101 fatal traffic crashes this time last year.  Aggressive driving behaviors, including speeding, running stop signs, and not granting right of way, have contributed to 34% of the fatal traffic crashes so far this year. To date alcohol consumption has been involved in 35% of the traffic deaths, and 47% of vehicle occupant fatalities were individuals not wearing their seat belts.

For more information on these or any of our other Safe Family Holiday campaign efforts follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe, visit our website for updates at www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com/Safe-Holidays or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.


OHS Wishes Motorists A Safe Driving Holiday

Christmas week enforcement focus is on DUI and Aggressive Driving

Dover –  As the song goes “Over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go…” The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is wishing all motorists a safe driving holiday as Christmas week approaches.  As the OHS 15th annual Safe Family Holiday Campaign continues, officers will be working overtime patrolling the roadways to ensure all motorists are buckled up, practicing patience behind the wheel, and using a designated sober driver if celebrating with friends and family during the holidays.

Overtime aggressive driving enforcement will run from December 19th-28th along with DUI saturation patrols continuing to run through the entire holiday season.

There is one DUI checkpoint scheduled for this weekend as follows:

  • Friday December 20th   Newport (New Castle County DUI Task Force)- Checkpoint

The Safe Family Holiday DUI Victim tree received 1 more green bulb this week. There is now a total of 9 green bulbs and 1 red bulb on each DUI Victim tree.  Each green bulb represents an alcohol related injury and a red bulb represents an alcohol related fatality on Delaware roadways between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.  Last year, 3 people were killed and 54 were injured in alcohol-related crashes in Delaware during the holiday season.

Since January 1st of this year, 95 people have lost their lives on Delaware roadways in 91 fatal traffic crashes, compared to 106 people killed in 101 fatal traffic crashes this time last year.  Aggressive driving behaviors, including speeding, running stop signs, and not granting right of way, have contributed to 33% of the fatal traffic crashes so far this year. To date alcohol consumption has been involved in 35% of the traffic deaths, and 46% of vehicle occupant fatalities were individuals not wearing their seat belts.

For more information on these or any of our other Safe Family Holiday campaign efforts follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe, visit our website for updates at www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com/Safe-Holidays or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.


Thanksgiving Weekend Enforcement Results

Dover –  Preliminary reports law enforcement agencies indicate that it was a quiet Thanksgiving weekend in Delaware with only 9 people arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs.  In addition to the weekend’s DUI arrests, officers apprehended 3 wanted individuals, made 2 drug arrests, and 105 citations for various other traffic violations.  Officers statewide conducted a combination of sobriety checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols in conjunction with the launch of the Office of Highway Safety’s (OHS’s) Safe Family Holiday campaign, now in its 15th year.

The Safe Family Holiday DUI Victim tree received its first 4 green bulbs for this holiday season but thankfully no red bulbs.  Each green bulb represents an alcohol related injury and a red bulb represents an alcohol related fatality on Delaware roadways between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

One sobriety checkpoint is scheduled to take place this weekend:

  • Friday December 6th – Wilmington – NcCo DUI Task Force – Checkpoint

The 15th annual Safe Family Holiday campaign runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve and involves a combination of high visibility enforcement efforts and public awareness activities.  For more information on these or any of our other Safe Family Holiday campaign efforts follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe, visit our website for updates at www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com/Safe-Holidays or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.


DUI Victim Tree Has First Red Bulbs Of The Season

2 killed & 28 injured in impaired driving related crashes

Dover – This holiday season should be filled with joy and happiness but unfortunately, nearly 30 families have already experienced the heart ache of learning that their loved ones have been injured or killed in an impaired driving related crash.  According to police reports, since the Thanksgiving holiday, there have been 33 impaired driving related crashes that resulted in twenty (28) persons injured and two (2) persons killed.  Subsequently, 28 green light bulbs and 2 red light bulbs will be added to the DUI Victims Trees located in Beebe Hospital, Kent General Hospital, A.I. Dupont Hospital, Dover Downs employee cafeteria, and online at www.DUIRealTime.com/SafeHolidays . These will be the first colored bulbs placed on the trees since the start of the Safe Family Holiday Campaign which began on November 21st.

The DUI Victims Tree project memorializes impaired driving related deaths and injuries that occur during the campaign period by placing colored light bulbs on the tree to represent each victim.  Each red bulb on the tree symbolizes someone killed in an impaired driving related crash in Delaware between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.  Each green light bulb symbolizes someone injured in an impaired driving crash.  Last year, two people were killed and 27 injured in these crashes in Delaware during the holiday season.

DUI saturation patrols will continue throughout the entire holiday season and will supplement already scheduled Checkpoint Strikeforce DUI Checkpoints.  Last weekend 8 people were arrested for DUI as part of Checkpoint Strikeforce.  This brings the total campaign DUI arrests to 305, however there have been 4,511 DUI arrest made in Delaware since January 1st.

There is one checkpoint scheduled to occur this weekend as follows:

Friday December 7th Newport (New Castle County DUI Task Force)- checkpoint

Currently, 42 (or 40%) of the 106 people killed in Delaware traffic deaths since January 1st have been alcohol-related. You can prevent alcohol-related crashes by being a HERO – Be a Designated Driver, or make sure you appoint one before you go out for the evening if you plan to drink alcohol.

For more information on these or any of our other campaign efforts follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe, visit our website for updates at www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com/SafeHolidays or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.