Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Thursday, May 6, 1999

Release # 165-99

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Samantha I. Lugo (212) 788-2958 Michael Regan, FDNY (718) 999-2025


MAYOR GIULIANI ISSUES STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF LOWERING THE DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED THRESHOLD IN NEW YORK

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Governor George Pataki and Attorney General Elliot Spitzer in calling for the State Legislature to lower the DWI threshold in New York State from .10 to .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level.

"I fully support Governor Pataki's legislation to lower the threshold for DWI in New York to .08 BAC, as many other states have done. Each year, hundreds of people in New York are killed, and thousands more injured, in alcohol-related crashes. The loss of life throughout the United States as a result of drunk driving is staggering - more than 16,000 people in 1997 - in what is entirely a preventable crime. New York must do everything possible to reinforce the message that driving a vehicle is a tremendous responsibility and that any amount of alcohol consumption can compromise driving ability. Redefining what constitutes drunk driving in New York will go a long way toward reinforcing that message and, ultimately, it will save lives. Lowering the BAC level for DWI will also bolster the deterrent effect of New York City's car seizure initiative, subjecting more drunk drivers to possible vehicle forfeiture. Our DWI initiative demonstrates that drunk drivers can be deterred, and lowering the BAC level for DWI is another important step in the right direction. I urge the State Legislature to adopt this important legislation for the safety of all New Yorkers."

On February 22, 1999, New York City began confiscating the vehicles of intoxicated drivers and applying civil forfeiture proceedings against the vehicles, which are considered the instruments of crime. The success of the new initiative was revealed in a detailed analysis conducted just one month later, on March 25. The number of accidents had declined 38.5 percent since the initiative was implemented compared to the same period last year, and 116 fewer people were arrested. Furthermore, 94 percent of those involved in alcohol-related accidents and arrested for DWI between February 22 and March 25 were first-time offenders.

Since the initiative began, 684 people have been arrested for DWI and 323 vehicles have been seized.

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