DUI prevention hot item after alcohol-related incidents

  • Published
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Nearly three months of perfection came to an end Jan. 6 when a technical sergeant from the 82nd Training Wing was cited by off-base authorities for driving while intoxicated.

According to reports from the 82nd TRW Safety Office, the last reported DWI was Oct. 27. The incident comes on the heels of the wing's Safety Day Jan. 4.

The sergeant began his evening at the Sheppard Club Friday after work. According to reports, he was driving to a downtown bar in the early morning hours of Jan. 6 and was pulled over for speeding by a highway patrolman. He was given a blood alcohol test at the Wichita County Jail which resulted in a reported BAT reading of .17, over twice the legal limit.

Although there were no injuries or accidents involved with the incident, Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux, commander of the 82nd TRW, said this incident goes against the Air Force's, and Sheppard's, Wingman Concept.

"An intoxicated driver operating a motor vehicle is like an unguided missile with the potential to kill or seriously injure an innocent person," the general said. "We are all very fortunate this NCO did not hurt or kill himself or another driver."

The general has briefed on numerous occasions that driving drunk is not acceptable, adding the first step a person should take before having the first drink is to hand their keys to someone who's not drinking.

The sergeant's poor decision wasn't the only one involving alcohol during the weekend. An underage Airman was stopped at the main gate after guards noticed he had been drinking. Although his blood alcohol content was under the legal limit, it is illegal for those under 21 to engage in the consumption of alcohol.

In Texas, those under 21 can be charged with Driving While Intoxicated if any level of alcohol is detected in their blood.

Here are some sobering factors to consider before getting behind the wheel after drinking:
· 16,885 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes in 2005.
· Alcohol was involved in 39 percent of all fatal crashes in 2005.
· 414 children age 14 or younger were killed in alcohol-related crashes. Another 48 were pedestrians or cyclists who were struck by drunk drivers.
· The highest percentage of drivers with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher was 21-24 year olds, followed by 25-34 and 35-44.
· More than half the drivers - 52 percent - involved in fatal crashes had a BAC of .16 or higher.
· Texas ranked second in 2005 in fatal crashes where the driver had a BAC of .08 or higher with 1,371. It also ranked second in fatal crashes where the driver's BAC was .16 or higher with 857.

(Statistics courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)