Maine Injury Lawyer Blog
Drunk driving in Maine isn’t limited to any one night, but the night of the Super Bowl is known as one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. The festivities this year led to a Maine drunk driving crash in York. A 29-year-old man was arrested for operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor, according to The Bangor Daily News. The incident, in which the driver crashed into three parked cars along Route 1, occurred soon after the Super Bowl ended.
An analysis conducted by Scram Systems (a personal alcohol-monitoring device) found that drunk driving violations by repeat drunk drivers who are court-ordered to stay sober spikes an average of 22 percent on Super Bowl Sunday, compared to typical Sunday violation rates. This was based on data analysis from 530,000 DUI offenders who are on probation or parole and court-ordered to wear the alcohol monitoring bracelets, usually on their ankles.
Violations reportedly spiked the last 9 of 11 Super Bowl Sundays. Not all areas were equally problematic, though. For example, when the Patriots played in 2015, drinking violations in New England soared to two times higher than the rest of the country and more than 100 percent higher than a usual Sunday for that given region. And when the Denver Broncos were in the Super Bowl, Colorado offenders, who comprise 4 percent of the monitored populations, were responsible for 13 percent of the violations on game day. The analysis further discovered it seems as if the winners tend to drink more than the losers. On average, violations among offenders who represented the champions’ fans were approximately 75 percent higher than those whose residences were home to the losing team.
Keep in mind too: The actual number of drunk drivers in Maine is probably even higher than reported. These were individuals who were court-ordered to remain sober, knew they were being monitored and were aware there would be consequences for them choosing to drink. That tells our Portland drunk driving injury attorneys it’s likely those who are not being monitored have even higher rates – especially if they have prior OUI convictions.
The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety reports that while there have been substantial reductions in alcohol-related crash deaths in Maine since the 1980s, it still continues to be a problem in the state. In 2017, the bureau reported there were still 7,655 alcohol-related traffic arrests statewide. That same year, The Portland Press-Herald reported there were more 80,000 drivers statewide had multiple OUI convictions in Maine since 1980. Of those, more than than 16,200 had four or more and about 350 people have been convicted of driving drunk nine times or more. A first-time OUI conviction (one that doesn’t involve a crash or injury) generally leads to a $500 fine and a five-month license suspension. But even when a Maine drunk driver kills someone, there is no law requiring permanent revocation of an offender’s driver’s license.
For instance, after a four-time convicted drunk driver struck and killed her husband and seriously injured her son and herself while the family was bicycling on the sidewalk, the woman lamented the fact that while his license will be suspended for 10 years after his release from prison, he’ll be able to apply for it again. Meanwhile, because that drunk driver was also uninsured, she and her son were evicted from their apartment during their recovery, as she was unable to work or pay her bills.
If you are the victim of a drunk driving accident in Maine, contact Peter Thompson & Associates at 1-800-490-5218 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
Additional Resources:
Maine man charged with drunken driving in crash after Super Bowl, Feb. 5, 2019, By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News
More Blog Entries:
This New Year’s Eve, Put a Cork in Maine Drunk Driving Risks, Dec. 27, 2019, Portland Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Blog