It's widely assumed that DUI (driving under the influence) refers to drunken driving only. The reality is that law enforcement officers frequently issue DUI citations to impaired drivers operating a vehicle while under the influence of illegal drugs and even prescribed drugs.
Here in Arizona, the governor recently signed a bill into law eliminating a DUI exemption for methadone users. Methadone is a synthetic opioid used to treat heroin addiction. Recovering addicts using methadone had been allowed to drive after taking the substance. Now they are subject to the same impairment standards as all other drivers.
A 2006 study of drivers showed that 13.3 percent drove under the influence of an illicit drug or alcohol at least once that year. The percentages of impaired drivers was especially high among teens and young adults, peaking with 31.8 percent of drivers aged 22 admitting that they'd driven at least once in a year's time while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
That same year, Arizona drunk drivers killed 585 people across the state.
Arizona is one of 15 states in which it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle if there is any detectable trace of a prohibited drug in the driver's blood.
In most first-offense Arizona DUI cases involving drugs, the main legal repercussion is license suspension. If you're convicted of a DUI drug offense, your license is automatically revoked for a year. You're also ineligible for a permit allowing you to drive to and from work.
Contrast that with a DUI conviction involving alcohol: you may get your suspended license back after 90 days, and you may be eligible for a work permit as well.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Grant money to fund DUI task force van
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office recently received a $300,000 grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to purchase a regional DUI Task Force van.
Sheriff Paul Babeu is holding a press conference at Carr-McNatt Park in Casa Grande on Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view and tour the van. Aberto Gutier, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and other community leaders also will be on hand to answer questions.
The Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force van will be used to conduct weekly enforcement efforts throughout the county and will provide a strong visual deterrent to warn drivers about the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs.
Arizona has a targeted program aimed at reducing alcohol-related fatalities; the core of which is an extensive network of DUI task forces conducting multi-agency enforcement and checkpoints throughout the state. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, founding partner of the Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force, has partnered with 13 law enforcement agencies across Pinal County to combine resources and implement multi-agency DUI details in an effort to impact impaired driving related incidents.
Sheriff Babeu is a strong proponent of the enforcement of state DUI and impaired-driver laws.
“It was crucial that the largest law enforcement agency in the county, PCSO, spearhead this task force and support the agencies we work with," Babeu said. "Knowing alcohol-related collisions are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of six and 33, and that more than 50 percent of all fatal collisions in Pinal County are alcohol-related shows us there is a serious problem that we can have a definite impact on if we work together through strict enforcement and zero tolerance."
Babeu said he's appreciative of the support from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
“The funding provided for this DUI van will undoubtedly improve the safety of our residents by providing our law enforcement agencies a place to safely and more efficiently process those suspected of driving while impaired,” Babeu said.
Source
Sheriff Paul Babeu is holding a press conference at Carr-McNatt Park in Casa Grande on Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view and tour the van. Aberto Gutier, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and other community leaders also will be on hand to answer questions.
The Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force van will be used to conduct weekly enforcement efforts throughout the county and will provide a strong visual deterrent to warn drivers about the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs.
Arizona has a targeted program aimed at reducing alcohol-related fatalities; the core of which is an extensive network of DUI task forces conducting multi-agency enforcement and checkpoints throughout the state. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, founding partner of the Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force, has partnered with 13 law enforcement agencies across Pinal County to combine resources and implement multi-agency DUI details in an effort to impact impaired driving related incidents.
Sheriff Babeu is a strong proponent of the enforcement of state DUI and impaired-driver laws.
“It was crucial that the largest law enforcement agency in the county, PCSO, spearhead this task force and support the agencies we work with," Babeu said. "Knowing alcohol-related collisions are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of six and 33, and that more than 50 percent of all fatal collisions in Pinal County are alcohol-related shows us there is a serious problem that we can have a definite impact on if we work together through strict enforcement and zero tolerance."
Babeu said he's appreciative of the support from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
“The funding provided for this DUI van will undoubtedly improve the safety of our residents by providing our law enforcement agencies a place to safely and more efficiently process those suspected of driving while impaired,” Babeu said.
Source
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