NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Newport News police are conducting DUI patrols this weekend.
Police told 10 On Your Side that it’s something they do routinely every month, if not every week.
It’s to address an ongoing issue not only in Newport News, but also across the country.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about one-third of car crash fatalities in the U.S. involve drunk drivers.
Associate Attorney Samantha Cohn with Smith Law Center on the Peninsula told 10 On Your Side they deal with at least 20 to 25 DUI cases per year.
“You know you get in your car and you’re simply minding your own business,” she said. “And then out of nowhere, the next thing you know, your whole life is different.”
She said there is a long list of injuries people can suffer after being hit by a drunk driver.
“One would hope that it would be something minor that would just require physical therapy or something of that nature,” she said. “But unfortunately, given the circumstances of drunk driving, typically, they are more catastrophic, resulting in long-term lifelong injuries that they have to treat. You may have a traumatic brain injury.”
She said it’s heartbreaking to see people struggle with those injuries.
“They can’t work, it changes their moods, they become irritable, they become angry, unstable,” she said. “And that is something that they have to learn to cope with for the remainder of their lives.”
She told 10 On Your Side one of the biggest aspects to fix in order to make changes in DUI cases regards punitive damages, that’s damages exceeding a simple compensation.
Under Virginia Law, in drunk driving incidents where the alcohol level is above a .15, a defendant may have to pay a maximum fee of $350,000.
“I think, in my opinion, that it should be lowered from the 0.15,” Cohn said. “And I think that there should be a more serious codification for those who are driving while simply impaired on other medication or other narcotics and make that more of a bright line rule as well.”
Newport News Police remind people that if they have been drinking, to call a sober friend, rideshare or a taxi to get home safely.
