Be a Saint. Drive Sober.

Be a Saint. Drive Sober.

St. Patrick’s Day Is One of the Deadliest Days of the Year Because of Drunk Driving

ABINGDON, VA—St. Patrick's Day brings to mind shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold, and good luck. But no amount of luck can save you from a drunk-driving crash. Unfortunately, March 17 has become a deadly day in the United States, with a dramatic spike in drunk-driving fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2013 (6 p.m., March 16 to 5:59 a.m., March 18), more than a third (40%) of all crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. The night of March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—was especially bad. In the post-celebration hours between midnight and 5:59 a.m. March 18, half of all crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. And we’re not just talking about a little bit too much to drink here; from 2009 to 2013, almost three-fourths of the drunk-driving fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day involved drivers who were twice the legal limit. So whether you’re buzzed or drunk on St. Patrick’s Day, it doesn’t matter. NHTSA wants to remind everyone that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving—drive sober.

In 2013, there were 31 people killed in drunk-driving crashes on St. Patrick’s Day. All in all, during the St. Patty’s Day period from 2009 to 2013, there have been 276 drunk-driving fatalities. Every one of those lives was lost because of bad decisions.

Police Chief Sullivan offered this advice to partygoers: “Get ahead of the decision this year. If you know you’re going to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with alcohol, then figure out a plan ahead of time for how you’ll get home. Don’t wait until you’re too buzzed to decide, and don’t let your friends drive drunk.” Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, so if you have anything to drink, count on a sober friend, taxi, or public transportation to drive you home safely. Not drinking? Maybe this St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll be the saint who drives your friends sober.

The bottom line is this: Too many Americans fail to designate sober drivers. NHTSA is working hard to make sure every driver knows the dangers of getting behind the wheel after drinking. According to NHTSA, in 2013 on average one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunk-driving crash in the United States.  That totaled 10,076 drunk-driving fatalities that year.

  

Let’s make 2015 different. Use this party-planning checklist to stay safe this St. Patrick’s Day.    

§  NOW: Even if you don’t have plans yet, plan to drive sober or designate someone else to. Save the number of a taxi company in your phone so you always have a backup plan.

§  WHEN YOU MAKE PLANS: A sober driver is an essential part of any party plan. Once you know where you’ll celebrate, decide whether you’re drinking or driving. You can only choose one.

§  ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Before you take your first sip of green beer, leave your keys at home or give them to a friend. If you’re the designated driver, don’t drink. Enjoy non-alcoholic beverages and brag about your VIP (very important partygoer) status online using the hashtag #designateddriver. Only drive sober or ride with a sober driver.

§  EVERY DAY: If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely. If you know people who are about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Drunk driving has fatal consequences. If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local police immediately. You could save a life.

For more information, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

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Are You Drinking or Driving This St. Patrick’s Day?

ST. PATRICK’S DAY 2015
FACT SHEET & TALKING POINTS



Choose Before You Booze
Are You Drinking or Driving This St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day Reality Check
• For too many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has ended in tragedy due to drunk drivers getting behind the wheel. Over St. Patrick’s Day weekends from 2009 to 2013, there were a total of 276 lives lost in drunk-driving crashes.
• In 2013, two out of five crash fatalities over St. Patrick’s Day weekend involved drunk driving.
• In the post-party hours between midnight and 5:59 a.m. March 18, 2013, a staggering 55 percent of crash fatalities involved drunk drivers.
• The situation isn’t improving, either. On St. Patty’s Day in 2013, there were 31 people killed in drunk-driving crashes.
Plan Ahead to Stay Alive
• Drunk driving kills more than 10,000 people each year in our country, and every single one of those deaths was preventable.
• Before celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year, decide whether you’ll drink or you’ll drive. You can’t do both.
• If you’re planning on drinking, now is the time to arrange your ride home. When you head out, leave your keys at home or give them to your sober driver.
• If you’re planning on driving that night, commit to staying sober.
• Look up a local taxi company, and save their number in your phone. It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan.
• A sober driver will be your luckiest charm this St. Patrick’s Day.

There’s No Such Thing as “OK to Drive”
• If you wait until you’ve been drinking on St. Patrick’s Day to decide how you’ll get home, you’re not OK to drive.
• Even if you’ve only had a couple of drinks, you may be impaired and shouldn’t drive. Remember, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
• As a driver, you’re either sober or you’re not. Don’t tell yourself or others that you’re OK to drive after you’ve been drinking.
• In every state, it is illegal to drive while impaired by alcohol.  Impairment begins before the .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit set by every state. The majority of drunk drivers are way over that limit. From 2009 to 2013, three out of four drunk-driving fatalities occurred with drivers who were more than double the legal limit.
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• If available, use your community’s free ride program [insert your local sober ride specifics here].
Important Things to Remember
• Alcohol affects everyone differently. Varying factors such as beverage alcohol content, body weight, food consumption, and number of drinks per hour, can change your BAC at a different rate than someone else’s. The only way to know you can drive is to stay sober.
• Walking impaired is dangerous just like drunk driving.  In 2013, 34 percent of the pedestrians involved in fatal crashes had BACs of .08 or higher. Get a sober friend to walk home with you.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, call local law enforcement. You could save a life. A third of all crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers.
• If you know someone who is about to drive drunk or ride with someone who is impaired, help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely. If a friend is drunk and wants to drive, take the keys away. Don’t worry about offending someone—they’ll thank you later.

Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving…and It Will Cost You

• Fast-forward to March 18th. What will you be doing?
A. Sleeping off a fun night? or
B. Sitting in jail, the hospital, or the morgue because you drove drunk?

• It’s a simple choice. Choosing to drive drunk can ruin or end your life or someone else’s.

• This St. Patrick’s Day, if you drink and drive, you are looking at jail time, the loss of your driver’s license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car or motorcycle towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work.

• Think cab fare is too expensive? Worried about your car being towed or ticketed if you leave it somewhere overnight? Those are weak excuses, considering the average DUI costs about $10,000. Wouldn’t you rather pay for a taxi?


For more information, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

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Abingdon Police Department Monthly Reports- 2015

The Abingdon Police Department is continuously trying to improve our services to the public. As part of that effort, we will now post our monthly reports for you to view. Click the links below to access each report- 

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December


Access our 2014 Annual Report

The Abingdon Police Department has released the following report on the Impact of Mental Health Cases on Local Law Enforcement Agencies. 

Missing Person- Forrest Campbell

Abingdon Police Department

Please help us find this missing person!

Forrest Campbell

Age: 53

Mr. Campbell left the Renaissance House on Tuesday (2/17/15) around 1:00 PM, walking to Kroger.  On Tuesday evening, the Renaissance House called dispatch to inform officers to keep a lookout. Officers have checked places that Mr. Campbell usually visits and have had no success in finding him. If you have any information on Forrest Campbell, please call the Abingdon Police Department at 276-628-3111 or Washington County Dispatch at 276-676-6277.

Abingdon Police Department: Complaint Yields Meth Bust

Abingdon Police Department 

For Immediate Release

On Tuesday, February 10^th, 2015, at approximately 1:00PM, officers from the Abingdon Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 800 block of West Main Street to a complaint of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was located at the 800 block of West Main Street in front of a residence. Officers spoke with Brock Dalton Widener, 20, of 29341 Hawthrone Drive, Meadowview, VA and Christopher Micheal Blankenship, 18, of 21670 Lakeshore Drive, Abingdon, VA. Upon further investigation, officers found a small quantity of methamphetamine and a small quantity of marijuana on Blankenship. Widener was in possession of a syringe and a spoon with burned residue.

Officers learned that the two were staying at the 800 block of West Main Street apartment. Consent was obtained by officers to search the residence and the search yielded the remnants of a one-pot shake and bake meth lab, as well as a large quantity of methamphetamine.

Brock Dalton Widener has been arrested and charged with:

1.      Manufacturing methamphetamine, in violation of § 18.2-248.03 (227 grams or more) of the Code of Virginia;

2.      Possession with intent of distribution, in violation of § 18.2-248 of the Code of Virginia; and

3.      Possession of methamphetamine precursors, in violation of § 18.2-248J of the Code of Virginia.

Widener was transported to the Abingdon Facility of the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail where he is currently being held without bond.

Christopher Micheal Blankenship has been arrested and charged with:

1.       Failure to appear, in violation of § 19.2-128 of the Code of Virginia;

2.      Possession of methamphetamine, in violation of § 18.2-250 of the Code of Virginia; and

3.      Possession of marijuana, in violation of § 18.2-250.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Blankenship was transported to the Abingdon Facility of the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail where he is currently being held without bond.

The Abingdon Police Department, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the investigation.

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Abingdon Police Department- Weekly Blotter 2/2/15-2/8/15

Abingdon Police Department

Police Blotter

The Abingdon Police Department responded to 74 incidents within 2/2/2015-2/8/2015.

Incident /Event Type

Computer Fraud

400 Block of West Main Street- On February 3rd at 4:00 PM, a victim reported his bank account accessed after fraudulent anti-virus scam.

Shoplifting

400 Block of Cummings Street- On February 5th at 8:31 AM, two subjects were detained in the store for shoplifting. The two returned the item to the shelf. After running wanted checks on both subjects, it was found that Amanda Lee Bossert had several outstanding warrants out of Smyth County. She was arrested and transported the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail. She was released on a 10,000 unsecured bond.

Intoxicated in Public

400 Block of Cummings Street- On February 5th at 1:30 PM, Terry Dean Combs, 43, of Honaker, was arrested for public intoxication. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.

Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property

500 Block of Humes Street- On February 8^th at 8:32 AM, two residences of the area reported damage to items outside their homes.

Simple Assault

500 Block of Lowry Drive- On February 8^th at 8:46 PM, the victim, a 23 year old Abingdon man, reported that during the course of the dispute one of the parties involved had struck him with a ceramic soap dish. Amanda Jo Escobedo, 35, of Abingdon, was identified as the primary aggressor. Escobedo was arrested and transported to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail. She was charged with Domestic Assault and is being held on a $1500 secured bond.

The report contains selected crimes and incidents that occur within the Town of Abingdon during a specific time period. The information is organized by date.  Addresses shown indicate blocks and not specific locations.


Note: Information contained in the Weekly Blotter is generally based on initial reports made to the police department. Follow-up investigations may reveal different or additional information. This report is not a comprehensive list of every police event in the Town of Abingdon in the stated time frame.

Felony Elude Police Incident- 1-18-15

Abingdon Police Department

For Immediate Release 

ABINGDON, VA- On Sunday, January 18^th, 2015, at approximately 1:00 a.m., an Abingdon Police Department patrol officer observed a vehicle speeding on Lowry Drive. As the officer pulled out to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle accelerated to a high rate of speed. The vehicle sped down Lowry Drive, turned left on Stonemill Road and then made a right on to Hallock Drive, where they finally came to a stop in a driveway.

The driver of the vehicle was Tanner Morris Curd, 21, of Meadowview and the passenger was Brisk Autumn Reed, 20, of Meadowview.  Mr. Curd was placed under arrest and charged with Felony Elude Police, in violation of § 46.2-817 of the Code of Virginia; Driving While Suspended 2^nd Offense, in violation of § 46.2-301 of the Code of Virginia; and Speeding, in violation of § 46.2of the Code of Virginia. He is being held on a $1500.00 secured bond at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon.

Ms. Reed was released on summons for Underage Possession of Alcohol, in violation of § 4.1-305 of the Code of Virginia; and Allowing an Unlicensed person to operate a vehicle, in violation of § 46.2-349 of the Code of Virginia.