Survivors and police work together to raise DUI awareness
LOREN BENOIT/Press Citizens meet with local law enforcement at Anchored Coffee to talk about safety over the July Fourth holiday.
Idaho Police DUI teams met the public in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday evening.
The local District 1 DUI team — along with representative of District 3, which includes Meridian and Boise — and the state police held a meet and greet at Anchored Coffee to kick off the Fourth of July weekend.
The North Idaho DUI Task Force was created this year. The Kootenai County-based force combines six Idaho law-enforcement agencies to reduce DUI fatalities and accidents.
At least 20 officers are scheduled to be on patrol to help stop drunk drivers during the Fourth of July holiday.
Statewide, alcohol led to 1,529 motor-vehicle accidents, including 80 fatalities and 218 serious injuries, according to 2017 data from the Idaho Transportation Department.
Drivers between the ages of 20 and 24 had the highest rate for DUI violations.
Idaho State Police Capt. John Kempf said Kootenai County’s numbers followed that trend. He said drivers between 20 and 24 have the highest rate because they are at an age where they feel invincible. Those driving under the influence made up 10.8 percent of all driver’s license suspensions in the state.
District 1 saw 530 DUI arrests in 2018, Kempf said. One out of every 10 traffic stops resulted in a DUI arrest.
Patricia and Verne Allen of Cocolalla, who lost their son, Ryan, 38, in a drunk-driving accident at the intersection of Boekel Road and U.S. 95 in March, attended the meet and greet. Patricia, Vern, and son Troy survived the crash. Pat and Allen said the DUI Task Force meant a lot to their family as it can prevent others from life-changing accidents that could be avoided.
“Prevention, saving lives and a purpose for his life, is something that we can draw on to help us heal by helping someone else,” Pat said.
The North Idaho DUI Task Force and other law enforcement are encouraging residents to use the Idaho State Police “REDDI” program, which stands for “Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately.” It’s a hotline anyone can use to report impaired drivers. Dial *477 from a cell phone anywhere in Idaho.
“The goal is to see a decrease in DUI fatal crashes,” Kempf said. “As our DUI arrests go up, our fatalities go down.”
Driving under the influence ranked fourth for the top 10 traffic violations for Idaho drivers in 2017, behind basic rule and speeding violations, insurance violations and failure to obey traffic control devices.
Officer C. Childers from the Post Falls Police Department said his city sees a large flow of traffic from Coeur d’Alene on the evening of the Fourth of July. Post Falls also has increased the amount of officers it will have on patrol. His advice concerning drunk driving?
Just don’t do it. It’s that simple, he said.
In addition to the Fourth of July weekend, the Task Force will be on patrol to keep drivers safe for Post Falls Days, the North Idaho State Fair, the Harrison Regatta, Scarywood, Halloween and New Year’s Eve.