Agencies work to reduce impaired driving in Henrico

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles examining traffic safety and vehicular accidents in Henrico County. Read the first here.

* * *

A total of 718 auto crashes in Henrico County during the past three years were a result of alcohol-impaired driving, according to Henrico crash statistic data.

To combat the effects of that data, the Henrico County Division of Police’s DUI team is out every weekend throughout the year, in addition to special days including St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, according to Henrico Police Lt. Robert Netherland, III.

“We always put out extra patrols during those time periods just to try to help,” he said. “The last thing we want to do obviously is after working a crash where someone is dead, we’ve got to go make a death notification.”

The first step in reducing vehicle crashes as a result of impaired driving is educating drivers about the impact of driving under the influence, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Regional Executive Director Roderick Howard said.

“I think it's easy for individuals to consume alcohol, whether it's a function, whether it's at dinner, whether it's at a bar, whatever venue it is, but they have to remember that when they get in a vehicle, they have the lives of themselves and others at jeopardy,” Howard said, “and when you get in the car and you drive impaired, it really impairs judgment, reaction judgment, and if we don't do a better job of controlling that there's no way we can control the number of fatalities that you see day over day.”

Crashes involving alcohol and the 15 to 20 year old demographic increased by 59% in 2020, while the 65 plus demographic decreased by 62%, according to the data.

Educating minors early about the effects of underage drinking can help reduce young adults being involved in alcohol-related crashes, Howard said. MADD offers a program titled the “Power of You(th)” which spreads the word about the ramifications of drinking and operating a vehicle while drinking.

“Bars can do a better job of informing their patrons when you're drinking and driving, encourage rideshares, encourage walking versus driving, encouraging friends if they have friends to at least have someone that is sober enough drive individuals home,” Howard said.

The Virginia State Police also enforces Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E) during holiday weekends, with a particular emphasis on drunk driving enforcement, Virginia State Police Sergeant Dylan Davenport said.

“We do what we can to stop them before they crash, we don't want the crash to happen, we don't want the injuries to happen,” she said, “we would much rather stop drivers and conduct the appropriate action, whether that's an arrest or just helping them to make better decisions about what they're going to consume before they drive.”

But ultimately, the decision to drive impaired is up to the individual. The top factor in effecting a reduction in crashes is changing the behavior of the drivers, Davenport said.

Impaired drivers are also more likely to be exhibiting other high-risk behaviors on the roadways, according to Executive Director of DRIVE SMART Virginia Janet Brooking. More than half of the unrestrained fatalities in 2019 were alcohol-related, according to the data.

“I think what's important to know is that when you're looking at a driver who's likely to drive impaired, he or she is also likely to be texting, they may also be speeding, they may be driving unrestrained,” Brooking said, “so it's important that we start to recognize that we're kind of looking at a personality type when we're looking to change behavior and reduce the injuries and fatalities on our roadways.”

Marijuana use also factors into impaired driving incidents. Despite Virginia’s legalization of marijuana, it is not legal on the roadways; the usage of drugs, including prescription drugs, as well as alcohol automatically impairs a driver, according American Automobile Association spokesperson Morgan Dean.

“If you’re impaired at all, don’t get behind the wheel,” he said. “Get that Uber, get that Lyft, find a taxi, have a designated driver, have a friend, but if you're at all impaired or concerned that you're impaired, you should not be hitting the road behind the wheel,” he said.