John Gallo, STOP-DWI Coordinator
401 State Street
Hudson, NY 12534
Phone: 518-828-0052
Fax: 518-828-7213
Email: stopdwi@columbiacountyny.com

Holiday Season

While we spend this Holiday Season celebrating with friends and family and looking forward to the blessings of a New Year, in a combined effort to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives law enforcement officers across New York State and STOP-DWI programs will be participating in special engagement efforts. The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign start on 12/13/2023 and will end on 1/1/2024.

HUDSON, NY – Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner announced today that Columbia County is part of a multi-county partnership to create safe drivers among teens. The Parent/Child Driving Partnership Initiative is a joint effort by Columbia, Dutchess, and Putnam counties to provide parents and guardians with guidelines and resources to help their teens develop good driving habits. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds the initiative with a New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee grant.

This morning, the announcement was made during a bipartisan press conference led by Clerk Tanner at the Columbia County DMV Office in Hudson. Clerk Tanner was joined by Putnam County Youth Bureau’s Naomi Bowen, Deputy Commissioner of State DMV, Head of Field Investigations and Traffic Safety, Owen McShane, New York State Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, and Columbia County colleagues including Columbia County Sheriff Don Krapf, Columbia County Youth Director Dan Grandinetti, Columbia County Stop DWI Coordinator John Gallo, and members of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, including Chairman Matt Murell.

The initiative involves a teen driving agreement that outlines the rules and expectations for teen drivers and their parents or guardians. The agreement covers seat belt use, speed limits, cell phone use, impaired driving, and passenger restrictions.

NYS STOP-DWI Mission

Reduce the number of persons killed or injured in alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes
To promote DWI prevention as a public priority
Coordinate local efforts in Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Probation, Rehabilitation, Public Information, Education, and Administration

NYS STOP-DWI Model

STOP-DWI New York has followed the “General Deterrence Model” in developing the foundation for our programs that are a statewide success. The General Deterrence Model is best described as a method to get people not to do something. The necessary prongs include:

Prevention and Education (don’t drink and drive)
Incapacitation (keep drinkers from driving)
Reform (treat individuals to prevent future offenses)
Deterrence (change behavior through fear or consequences)

PROGRAMS and EVENTS

Victim Impact Panel

For 2024 the Victim's Impact Panel will be held at the Columbia Greene Community College located at Columbia Greene Community College located at 4400 NY-23, Hudson, NY 12534, in the Professional Academic Center (PAC) ROOM 706. All panel attendees should park in A & B parking lot.

Prior to attendance you must be scheduled by the court or make an appointment with this office.

Attendees should arrive by 6:00 PM, Class begins PROMPTLY at 6:30 PM, and No one will be allowed in after 6:30 PM.

See Victim Impact Panel page for dates and information.

Victim Impact Panel

Ichabod Crane High School Mock Car crash

for prom season

2022 Holiday Season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

FACT SHEET

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with the law enforcement community nationwide during the 2022 holiday season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement impaired driving campaign, which runs from December 16, 2022, through January 1, 2023. NHTSA and Columbia County Law Enforcement are working tirelessly to spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving and to remind all drivers: If you plan to drink alcohol, plan ahead for a sober ride home.

Drunk Driving: The Sobering Statistics

Between December 2016-2020, there were more than 4,400 people killed in drunk-driving-related crashes.
Male drunk drivers were involved in fatal crashes at a much higher rate (660) in December 2020 compared to female drivers (191).
Male drivers were three times more likely (3,229) to be involved in an alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle traffic crash than females (1,106) in December 2020.
Young people ages 21-34 accounted for the highest percentage (26%) of alcohol-impaired fatalities in December 2020.
Nighttime driving in December 2020 was significantly more dangerous than daytime driving, with 30% of drunk-driving-related crashes occurring between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:50 a.m. Almost half (44%) occur between the hours of midnight and 2:59 a.m., likely when bars are closing and people are driving home.
Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs at or above .08). In 2020, there were 11,654 people killed in drunk-driving crashes.
Nationally, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah, where the limit is .05 g/dL.
Although it’s illegal to drive when impaired by alcohol, in 2020 one person was killed every 45 minutes in a drunk-driving crash on our nation’s roads.
Men are more likely than women to be driving drunk when involved in fatal crashes. In 2020, 22% of males were drunk, compared to 16% of females.
The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 was 3.1 times higher at night than during the day.

The Cost of Drunk Driving

The average DUI costs $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, and more.
The financial impact from impaired-driving crashes is devastating. Based on 2010 numbers (the most recent year for which cost data is available), impaired-driving crashes cost the United States $44 billion annually.
If you’re caught drinking and driving, you can face jail time. That arrest will follow you for many years to come.
Drinking and driving can cause you to lose your driver’s license and your vehicle. This could prevent you from getting to work, resulting in lost wages and, potentially, job loss.

Plan for a Safe Celebration

Always remember to plan ahead when you will be celebrating with alcohol. If you plan to drink, make arrangements for a sober driver to take you home. Before you start celebrating this holiday season, look over these safety tips to keep you, your loved ones, and everyone else safe on the road.

Plan ahead: If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make a smart decision, you might not. Before you have one drink, designate a sober driver who won’t be drinking.
You have options: designate a sober driver, call a taxi, or use a rideshare service. Getting home safely is always worth it. Some communities even have a sober ride program [insert local sober ride details here].
If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously and don’t drink.
If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact [Local Law Enforcement].
Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and let a sober driver get your friend home safely.

For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/drunk-driving/drive-sober-or-get-pulled-over/holiday-season.

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