Despite the grim danger of drunk drivers on the road, especially on the night of New Years Eve, this year authorities claimed numbers are relatively low.
In Greenwich, police did not make any drunken driving arrests on the eve of Dec. 31 or in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, according to the police department.
Lt. Daniel Allen of the Greenwich Police Department attributed the low number to the more people choosing to stay home due to the rough economy, the dangerous road conditions, and the cold temperatures.
“A lot of people aren’t going out and spending money,” said Allen.
State Police made 15 drunken driving arrests on New Years Eve.
“This year it was a little lower than normal,” said Sgt. Chris Johnson of the State Police. “You have to consider that there was a major storm and also the extreme cold played a part in less people being out and traveling.”
Despite the low numbers of peoples driving under the influence, Johnson said police have been out dealing with more accidents than usual due to the inclement weather.
“I think given the weather, the snow and the icing conditions, that is going to increase the number of accidents,” said Johnson.
There were 336 accidents reported on New Year’s Eve by state police, two of them fatal and 39 with injuries, according to a state police press release. There were also 103 speeding arrests, police said.
Although Christmas Eve and New Years Eve did not see many arrests, the police claim they have made several arrests surrounding the holiday. During Christmas, State Police also stepped up their targeted patrols to combat drunken driving during “Operation Santa.” Between Dec. 24 and Dec. 27 there were 61 drunken driving arrests, police said. There also were 343 accidents for the three-day period. Drinking and driving under the influence is always a major concern and designated drivers are strongly suggested to wear a seat belt.
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