Monday: New Year's alcohol-related crashes down in state
BY CASEY SMITH World Staff Writer
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Over the past three New Year holidays the number of motor vehicle crashes in Oklahoma increased, but the number related to alcohol declined.
A total of 419 crashes occurred during the days that made up last year’s New Year holiday, 14 percent more than occured during the same period two years earlier, records show.
Last year 51 crashes were alcohol-related, down 20 percent compared to the number of accidents connected to drunken driving during the 2009-2010 holiday.
Despite the downward trend, partygoers and hosts must be responsible to prevent celebrations from ending in jails, hospitals or funeral homes, AAA Oklahoma spokesman Danial Karnes said.
“We know people are going to go out and party, and we don’t want to go back to the days of prohibition,” Karnes said. “But we do want them to drink responsibly.”
The data from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety’s Highway Safety Office data covers 78 hours surrounding New Year’s Eve, synonymous with late-night parties and champagne toasts.
Read more in Monday's Tulsa World.
