Idaho seeks to reduce drunk-driving deaths
Ralph Bartholdt Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 7 months AGO
Last month, five people died in Kootenai County because of drunk drivers, bolstering the number of local alcohol-related fatalities in a county where the number of fatal crashes usually hovers around eight annually.
The deaths come at a time when local law enforcement and the state have teamed up to combat drunk driver deaths, setting a goal of reducing the fatalities to 53 statewide by 2020.
Last year 54 people died statewide because of drunk drivers. The number is significantly lower than the 73 who died in 2010 when the target was established.
Local law enforcement wants to make sure drunk drivers stay off the road this holiday season, that’s why emphasis patrols planned this month will target impaired motorists.
“Incidents of impaired driving increase around the holiday season and law enforcement agencies throughout Kootenai County are committed to preventing impaired driving related crashes this holiday season,” Coeur d’Alene police detective Jared Reneau said.
During the “No Refusal” emphasis patrols slated for this holiday season, patrol officers will serve search warrants to drivers they believe to be impaired, and who refuse to consent to breath tests or blood draws.
Motorists who are stopped and refuse to submit will be served a search warrant from a judge allowing officers to draw blood as part of their DUI investigation.
Idaho state law mandates motorists consent to DUI tests.
“Judges will be available and ready to hear probable cause for a search warrant,” Reneau said.
Motorists who defy the law and refuse to participate in police investigations are prone to stiff penalties.
In first-offense cases, it often doesn’t behoove a motorist suspected of DUI to refuse to consent because penalties for refusal are greater than the penalty for a misdemeanor DUI. A misdemeanor DUI carries a mandatory 30-day license suspension and no more than six months in jail. Refusing to participate, even if a driver isn’t legally impaired, enhances the penalty.
Drivers who fail to consent can be arrested and fined $250 and have their license suspended for at least a year.
Under Idaho’s implied consent law motorists, by virtue of having an Idaho driver’s license, have given consent for a police officer to take a blood, breath or urine sample if police have probable cause. The state receives federal dollars to oversee programs to reduce impaired driving statewide including money for emphasis patrols.
Almost $2 million was set aside for 2017 for DUI courts, interlock programs, underage drinking enforcement, MADD support and to help pay for DUI task forces.
The state divvies out a portion of $100,000 set aside to cover costs of departments taking part in the holiday emphasis patrols.
Police officers and county deputies will have a booth in The Resort Plaza Shops this evening to address the dangers of impaired driving and Post Falls police on Nov. 25 will host a virtual Ride-Along on their Facebook page to provide real-time information about the county-wide DUI emphasis patrols.
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