When teens are driving with multiple passengers, they tend to consider themselves just out for fun and generally have few restrictions set by parents. Also, male and female drivers are often distracted or engaged in other actions just prior to accidents.
]]> Allison Curry, director of epidemiology at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, conducted the research, and said most parents and teens are not aware of the dangers."Among the teens who said they were distracted by something inside the vehicle before they crashed, 71 percent of males and 47 percent of females said they were distracted directly by the actions of their passengers," noted Curry.
Stark differences between male and female drivers were also discovered. Male drivers who had teen passengers were six times as likely to drive illegally and twice as likely to drive aggressively compared to when they were without passengers. Female drivers seldom showed aggressive driving tendencies prior to a crash, regardless of whether they had passengers.
The study by State Farm Insurance reported that parents should be aware of their teens' driving habits. "It's critical that parents stay involved in their teens' driving beyond the learner permit phase," said Chris Mullen, research director at State Farm.
Current Georgia law states that teen drivers are restricted to only immediate family members in the car during the first six months after acquiring a driver's license.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Risky business: Teens driving with other teens" Joe Provano, Jan. 24, 2012
]]>In fact, a panel of judges convened in a hearing before which the FDLE sought to convince them of the breathalyzer's reliability and key utility in drunk driving stops rejected the presentation as being scientifically questionable.
]]> The media and state taxpayers are now questioning the department, as well.The reason why: Taxpayer dollars funded a recent "experiment" in which 15 state employees drank heartily at a "booze and Doritos party," the purpose which was stated to be an assessment of breathalyzer reliability.
Specifically, the employees -- mostly law enforcement agents -- drank beyond legal limits and then blew into breathalyzers. Their blood was also drawn and sent to a testing laboratory. The party was filmed by video camera.
A strong catalyst for the experiment was law enforcement's defensive attitude in light of many recent challenges to the machines that have questioned their accuracy and the way they are used. Breathalyzer evidence has been questioned or thrown out in cases in many states, including Georgia, within the past couple years.
A testing "expert" from the FDLE said the tests confirmed that the machines provide accurate readings.
Aligned with the judges in questioning the results, a doctor and biostatistics consultant stated that the test was simply too small and isolated to be useful.
Source: Syracuse Post-Standard, "Florida pays stare employees for drinking party to test breathalyzers" Geoff Herbert, Jan. 23, 2012
]]>Elander wrote in the near wake of the tragic death of Kathy Porter, the wife of Atlanta Braves trainer Jeff Porter, who was slammed into on New Year's Day by a state police officer who had joined in the chase of a motorcyclist being pursued for a minor traffic violation.
]]> A point that Elander centrally makes in his recent article: That trooper was not even part of the contingent originally pursuing the biker. Rather, he reportedly was speeding on Atlanta streets and even ran a red light to join the pursuit. Multiple witnesses state that the trooper was not using his siren while maneuvering to join the chase.In Elander's view, there is never a time when a high-speed chase is justified in order to stop an offender wanted for a minor traffic transgression. There is simply too much at stake and, as the Porter outcome demonstrates, too much to lose.
Moreover, Elander argues that putting the public at such a risk violates the constitutional right of motorists to equal protection under the law.
There are other ways, says Elander, that are just as effective at stopping traffic offenders and far less dangerous to innocent third parties. He references barricades and tire-puncture strips, for example, as well as helicopter surveillance and other methods.
In Elander's view, the high-speed police chase, in less than exigent circumstances, is a "dangerous and abusive practice."
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "High-speed pursuits not justified" Eugene F. Elander, Jan. 5, 2012
]]>We summarized the initial developments in that story for our readers in a December 6, 2011, blog post. At the time the story was first reported -- and as we dutifully noted in our post based on the information that was available at the time -- Fakih was spotted by a Detroit-area police officer in the early morning hours of December 3 after she pulled the car she was driving over to a curb, realizing that she was too intoxicated to drive.
]]> She had been serving as the designated driver, given that her companion had been drinking throughout the evening. Media reports at the time did not indicate what Fakih's blood-alcohol content was when she was stopped.Police now say that two breath tests were administered to Fakih, with the results being 0.20 percent and 0.19 percent, respectively, both those amounts being more than two times above the legal threshold for drunk driving.
Reports now stress Fakih's assertion that she wasn't drinking at all that night, so there is clearly a disconnect between the two sides in the case.
That case is scheduled for a March 14 trial date, unless a plea deal is reached.
Fakih won the Miss USA pageant in 2010, being the first-ever Arab-American woman to capture the title.
Her attorney says she is remorseful, wants to put the matter behind her and is "a woman of substantial character."
Source; Huffington Post, "Rima Fakih, Ex-Miss USA, appears in Mich. court on drunk driving charge" Ed White, Jan. 18, 2012
]]>The researchers discovered a decrease of nine percent in traffic deaths in states that legalized marijuana. They believe that passage of medical marijuana legislation results in young people often opting to use marijuana rather than drink alcohol. The research also suggests that drivers who have used marijuana may be less impaired than drunk drivers.
Critics who are skeptical of the study note that there is no clear evidence that medical marijuana makes people more likely to smoke pot than to self-medicate with alcohol. Some age groups reported an increased use of marijuana, while others did not. Critics also note that researchers have not analyzed data in states where marijuana is illegal. The study is currently undergoing peer review.
Source; Huffington Post, "States that legalized medical marijuana saw fewer traffic deaths" Dec. 30, 2011
]]>That is certainly sobering and, owing to collisions, speeding, DUI crashes, reckless driving, distracted driving and other problems behind the wheel, similarly dismal numbers come from virtually every state.
]]> There is a difference, though. According to the 2012 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws, complied by the safety group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHAS), Georgia is among the minority of states that merits special mention for being a comparatively safe locale for driving.In fact, the organization ranks the state as a "green" state, meaning that, along with 16 other states, it has "significantly advanced toward adoption of all Advocates' recommended highway safety laws."
There are 15 such laws (e.g., primary enforcement seat belt law; first-offender ignition interlock requirement; absolute cell phone ban; all-rider motorcycle helmet law, etc.). In the view of AHAS, a state with every law on the book would constitute a near-perfect driving environment.
In AHAS's rating system, Georgia scores out at a 10.5, which is comparatively high.
AHAS researchers say it can do even better by making just a few select changes. As we noted in a recent blog post, the state is not among those that requires installation of an ignition interlock device for first-time DUI offenders. AHAS would like to see that changed.
Additionally, the organization is focused on teen drivers and the state's graduated driver's licensing system, which it thinks can be improved.
Specifically, AHAS recommends that the minimum age for a learner's permit be bumped up from 15 to 16. Additionally, it suggests changing the secondary enforcement of nighttime restriction violations to primary enforcement.
Last, it recommends implementing a tight passenger restriction provision on drivers in the GDL program.
Source: Sacramento Bee, "2012 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws shows fiscal impact of highway safety gaps" Jan. 11, 2012
]]>The IDs were reportedly widely used for underage drinking and were stated to be of exemplary quality. They were sold at amounts ranging from $50 to $100. Evidence that has been gathered includes expensive printers, laptops, iPhones, magnetic strip ID cards and hologrammed laminates of driver's licenses from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and other states.
]]> Investigation into what police say was a ring of several persons -- including manufacturers and couriers -- began last autumn when a student in a UGA dorm approached campus police out of her concerns that her roommate's involvement with the scam would eventually get her into trouble, as well. That student is not a suspect in the case.However, her initial tip off of the scheme resulted in police officers arresting the roommate on a felony charge of possessing and distributing fake IDs. Investigators then obtained warrants to search several premises, including a student's home and a fraternity, where substantial evidence was uncovered.
Police were also able to examine one of the suspect's emails and phone text messages, which provided the names of numerous persons inquiring about the IDs
In the investigation's early phase, students with fake IDS were allowed to hand them in to UGA police without facing questions or penalties. More than 300 cards were turned in.
UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson says that his department expects "a multitude of arrests" and that the investigation could lead "to other institutions and other geographic locations."
Source: Red and Black, "University police uncover fake ID network" Jan. 8, 2012
]]>That state was New Mexico, and it mandated installation for even first-time offenders. No other state in the country had any interlock requirement at all, even for drivers with multiple convictions or inordinately high blood-alcohol levels.
]]> Things have certainly changed in a few short years, with MADD officials now saying that their hope for a nationwide interlock requirement in all states for a first offense is gaining traction and will ultimately be realized.Fifteen states now provide that first offenders must install the device. Georgia is not among them, although the state does have an ignition interlock law that mandates installation following a second DUI conviction. Twenty-four other states have a similar requirement, either for second offenders or motorists who blow a .15 or higher.
Proponents of mandatory and nationwide installation say that the device is the best proven method to deter drunk driving.
A number of people, though, think that the push is over the top, and that judges in each state should have discretion to step in and make evaluations in such a matter.
"There is a distinction between somebody who is one sip over the legal limit and the type of person who has 10 drinks," says Sarah Longwell, the managing director of the American Beverage Institute.
"The judicial system should be involved in those cases," she adds.
Source: MSNBC, "Curbing drunken drivers: Should ignition interlock be required on every car?" Jim Gold, Jan. 5, 2012
]]>That technology is called the BreathalEyes, and it has been commercially available since last November to anyone who wants to cough up a buck to use it.
]]> Here's how it works. BreathalEyes is a mobile phone application that is aimed at informing persons when their alcohol consumption has reached a level that would put them over the legal limit for driving.The app uses an iPhone's camera to scan a person's eyes. "It takes a series of photographs to detect and analyze HGN, then estimates the user's blood alcohol content," says one of its developers.
HGN is the acronym for horizontal gaze nystagmus, something that Georgia law enforcement officials and their peers in a majority of other states are intimately familiar with. Specifically, HGN is a common field sobriety test administered to suspected drunk drivers. The test measures involuntary eye movements that occur when a person is intoxicated.
That is precisely what the BreathalEyes does, providing a person with the results in advance of any police officer doing so during a DUI stop. The app's developers say that BreathalEyes is easily downloaded and can detect blood-alcohol content effectively between .02 and .17 percent.
The inventors say that the application is not envisioned as a "tell me whether I can drive or not" tool. Rather, it is an aid to help persons make smarter decisions.
Source: Insurance Journal, "Drunk driver test? There's an app for that" Jan. 4, 2011
]]>Conversely, extreme perfectionists and individuals who suffer from severe anxiety may find that alcohol helps them reduce the pressure to perform at impossibly high levels. However, researchers do not recommend that these individuals self-treat their anxiety with alcohol as a long-term solution.
Source: STL Today, "Drunks aware but don't care, study shows" Harry Jackson Jr., Dec. 30, 2011
]]>"If we have someone refuse, and if we have enough probable cause, we contact a State Court judge and request a search warrant for that person's blood," says Douglas Chief Deputy Stan Copeland.
Other officers say that blood test warrants provide for an additional option in a time when DUI suspects are increasingly refusing to take tests.
A motorist's decision to take a test or not can typically be quite stressful, of course, given the circumstances, and many experienced defense attorneys advise persons to decline testing, since tests can be subjective, unreliable and poorly administered.
An experienced Atlanta metro defense attorney can answer questions and provide a diligent defense to any person who has been arrested on a drunk driving charge.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "DUI test refusals prompt blood warrants" Rhonda Cook, Dec. 23, 2011
]]>Source: CNN, "Millions of drivers won't hang up, study shows" Mike M. Ahlers, Dec. 8, 2011
]]>Doing that, they say, will reduce car accidents, make drivers more mindful of when they are speeding or otherwise driving inappropriately and, overall, render traffic movement and flow more logical and safer.
]]> There are more than 120 electronic billboards throughout the Atlanta metro area, and both the Transportation Department and billboard industry are in keen agreement that they be available to communicate emergency weather conditions to drivers.For the state, the ability to digitally display such information quickly and throughout the metro area would be a particularly welcome development, given the ice storms that hit the region last January and snarled Atlanta traffic for days.
State planners suffered criticism in the wake of those storms and believe that the timely sharing of weather data with the public via electronic billboards will go far toward improving matters when conditions threaten to become adverse.
The advertising industry, too, is eager to become involved with such an endeavor, since it will enable it to be favorably linked to a public service. Connor Poe, a spokesman for the industry, says that an agreement with the Transportation Department would come with no strings attached and no financial outlay for taxpayers.
"We have so many digital billboards across the state for them to utilize," says Poe, adding that, "We can reach more people."
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Electronic billboards in Georgia to carry messages about snow, ice, flooding, detours" Jeremiah McWilliams, Dec. 21, 2011
]]>July Fourth and New Year's Eve stand out prominently each year as the two holidays when Georgians are most frequently arrested in DUI incidents. Police expect to be especially busy this year, with December 31 falling on a Saturday.
Their message to motorists: Be forewarned. Any driver stopped on suspicion of drunk driving and found to have a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher will be arrested immediately and sent to jail.
That is the norm at all times during the year, but Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety officials want that outcome widely publicized from now until the end of the year.
Safety spokespersons say that the message works and that the annual reminder has a strong deterrent effect on most drivers.
A Georgia State Patrol official says that drunk driving is not prevalent on interstate roadways over the holidays, but, rather, occurs primarily on two-lane roads where drivers are traveling short distances to visit friends and neighbors.
Source: Augusta Chronicle, "Drive sober campaign for holidays under way" Bianca Cain, Dec. 20, 2011
]]>Now, the National Transportation Safety Board wants to outlaw all cell phone use while driving, including the use of hands-free devices, except those installed in vehicles by the manufacturer. In Georgia, it is already a traffic violation for anyone under the age of 18 to text or call on a cell phone while driving.
]]> There will likely be much debate before a total ban would be proposed in Georgia. The NTSB's recommendation carries weight; however, the agency has no law-making power. Many in Georgia have voiced opposition to such a ban, saying it would be impossible to enforce.Although the NTSB says that one in every 100 drives are texting while driving at any given moment, the Georgia State Patrol has only issued 100 tickets since a texting while driving ban went into effect this summer.
It can be difficult for police to fine someone for violating a cell phone law. It may be hard for an officer to determine whether the person is making an emergency call on their phone, or it might look like the person is texting when they are really just dialing a phone number. Because of these unknowns, the debate about cell phone use while driving and how restrictive the government should be will be a long one.
Source: WXIA, "Texting while driving going up despite law," Keith Whitney, Dec. 15, 2011
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