Don't test your luck on the roads this St. Patrick's Day
RIPCA and RIDOT leaders remind residents to prioritize traffic safety this weekend
Today, leaders from the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association and RIDOT urged Rhode Island drivers to make safety a priority while out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. These traffic safety leaders met on Thursday to discuss traffic safety initiatives ahead of the holiday weekend. With increased patrols on the roads and key safety messages to be shared on social media, the focus is on preventing impaired and dangerous driving.
"The best decision you can make this St. Patrick's Day weekend is to plan ahead for a safe ride home. Whether you designate a sober driver, use a rideshare service, or stay where you are, never drive if you’ve been drinking or using cannabis,” said Chief Thomas Oates III, Woonsocket Chief of Police and President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association. “If you’re the one behind the wheel, stay focused, drive distraction-free, and make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up before you hit the road.”
“We know that certain holidays throughout the year lend themselves to celebrations with alcohol, which translates to an increased risk of impaired drivers on our roads,” said Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, Jr. “That’s why before holiday weekends like this one, we and our safety partners reach out to the public to remind drivers to never get behind the wheel drunk. And if they see someone about to drive impaired, step up, intervene, and help that person get home safely.”
As part of the DUI enforcement efforts this holiday weekend, the BAT Mobile will be deployed at 700 West Main Road in Middletown on Saturday, March 15th, the day of the Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Portsmouth, Newport, Middletown, Jamestown, and Tiverton Police Departments, as well as the Rhode Island State Police, will join forces in this effort to identify and arrest impaired drivers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired driving claimed 290 lives in the U.S. during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period from 2018 to 2022. In 2022 alone, 74 people in the U.S. lost their lives in alcohol-related crashes during this timeframe.
Background on impaired driving
The first offense for driving under the influence of liquor or drugs carries several penalties:
Possible jail sentence of up to one year at the ACI.
Mandatory license suspension from three to eighteen months.
Mandatory community service from 10 to 60 hours.
Fines of not less than $100, nor more than $500
Fees can easily reach a few thousand dollars.
Rhode Island law requires you to submit to a chemical test of your blood, breath, or urine to determine the chemical content of your body fluids or breath.
If you refuse this testing, certain penalties can be imposed, including the following:
For a first offense, your Rhode Island driver’s license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state can be suspended for six months to one year or modified to permit operation in connection with an ignition interlock device for a period specified by law; a fine from $200 to $500 can be imposed; and you can be ordered to perform 10 to 60 hours of community service and attend a special course on driving while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance and/or alcohol or drug treatment.
If you have had one or more previous offenses within the past five years, your refusal to submit to a chemical test of breath or urine at this time can have criminal penalties, including incarceration of up to six months for a second offense and up to one year for a third or subsequent offense, and can carry increased license suspension or ignition interlock period, fines, and community service.
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Contact:
Cara Cromwell
(401) 440-0090
