Officers Report Increased Alcohol-Related Arrests and Car Accidents in Taunton over Holidays

Every year, the holiday season brings an absurd increase in the number of drunk driving car accidents in Taunton and elsewhere throughout the state. According to national statistics, Thanksgiving through New Year’s sees nearly 20 percent of drunk driving accidents across the country for the year. That’s just over a month, proving how dangerous our roadways can be during the holidays.
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We recently reported on our Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog about the expected increase in these types of accidents over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods. We talked about the roughly 11,000 deaths that occur each year because of alcohol-related accidents, as well as the frequency of these types of accidents throughout the holiday season.

Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys understand that there were a significant number of drunk driving arrests and accidents throughout the Taunton area and its surrounding communities just over the last week and a half. Many of these accidents occurred as friends and family members ventured home after consuming alcohol at bars and at home gatherings. During this time, law enforcement efforts were increased significantly to try and apprehend the intoxicated drivers before they had a chance to cause serious accidents on our roadways.

The Massachusetts Office for Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that every year alcohol is involved in nearly 60 percent of fatal car accidents on New Year’s. The average rate of accident rate for alcohol-related crashes is just 40 percent throughout the remainder of the year.

Fatal Taunton Alcohol-Related Accidents over the Holidays:

-One of the fatal drunk driving accidents that happened in Taunton during the holiday period occurred on Highland Street in the early morning hours. During this time, a male driver was arrested for operating under the influence after he drove his car into the stone wall of a house.

-Another accident happened on Brook Street, when a female driver got into a two-car accident. She was also arrested for driving under the influence. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in this crash.

-A third arrest happened when officers located a man in Rehoboth as he sat in his vehicle on the roadside. It was Christmas and the driver told officers he was on his way home to East Providence and had only drank three glasses of wine and some beer.

-A fourth accident landed an 18-year-old driver in jail after he slammed a Blazer into another vehicle. The young driver was arrested Christmas Eve for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Raynham Police Chief James Donovan says that he and his officers see a significant increase in the number of drunk driving offenses during the holidays. He adds officers are aware of this trend, and are working diligently to try to find out if a driver has been drinking or not when they make routing traffic stops during this time.

Massachusetts Driving Stats:

-There were more than 310 drunk driving-related deaths in the state in 2010.

-There were roughly 340 drunk driving-related deaths in the state in 2009.

The Massachusetts Drunk Driving Lawyers at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers represent clients facing DUI charges throughout the Greater Boston Area and elsewhere throughout Massachusetts. Call for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. (617) 777-7777.

Additional Resources:

Taunton area sees increase in OUIs throughout holiday season, by Marc Larocque, Tauton Daily Gazette
More Blog Entries:

Boston Tops List for Drunkest Cities in U.S.; Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Massachusetts Likely in 2012, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, January 1, 2012

Female Arrests for Drunk Driving in Massachusetts, Nation on the Rise, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, December 10, 2011

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