newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

While we hope everyone had a good New Year celebration last weekend, we hope it was a safe one. In some parts of the world, younger people are becoming increasingly reckless on the roadways.

According to the Hindustan Times, during an 11-day drive conducted by police in India between Dec. 21 and Dec.31, police booked 2,010 people for drunk driving, and 1,055 were between 21 and 30 years old.

Since India began having the holiday safety drives in 2007, police have seen 74,146 drunk driving cases, and have suspended the licenses of 36,978 repeat offenders.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a 31-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy without a license were both booked for drunk driving in the same car within four hours. And the boy had been booked for drunk-driving two days before in a different car.

Lower Southampton Patch reported that a 2011survey of eleventh and twelfth graders showed that New Year’s Eve was the biggest concern among teen drivers about events which may involve driving under the influence of alcohol or substances. But 94 percent of teens surveyed said they would not drive under the influence if asked to stop by a passenger.

According to a New Jersey Safe Passage eport, in New Jersey a person is guilty of drunk driving if they drive with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or above. First offenses carry a fine of $250 to $400 and up to 30 days in prison, and a three month suspension of license, and penalties increase if the offender’s BAC is higher.

Driving with a traceable amount of alcohol in your system if you’re under 21 in New Jersey may result in the loss of driving privileges for 30 to 90 days, or 15 to 30 days of community service.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reported that between 2006 and 2010, New Jersey’s alcohol related traffic fatalities dropped from 218 to 153. The bad news is that the total rose from 146 to 153 between 2009 and 2010.