Top

Drinking And Driving

December 27, 2011 by · Comments Off on Drinking And Driving 

Drinking And DrivingDrinking And Driving, Don’t drink and drive. That’s the simple message the Caledonia Police Department wants residents to remember during the holidays and all throughout the year.

Car crashes involving drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs “are devastating to the families involved,” said Lt. Gary Larsen of the Caledonia Police Department.

Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunk driving in the country, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and in 2010 there were 44,000 drunk driving convictions in the state. First-time drunk driving offenders face fines of $1,000 and the loss of a driver’s license for six to nine months. In addition, offenders who have a blood alcohol level of .15 or higher (nearly twice the legal limit of .08) or who are a repeat offenders must have an ignition lock installed on their cars, which prevents the car from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath.

In addition to avoiding driving after drinking, it’s also important not to drive if you are taking prescription medication that makes you feel drowsy. The police department has noticed a spike in impaired driving by people who are “exceeding the therapeutic dose” of prescription drugs, said Larsen.

Bottom