Plymouth Police See Fewer DWIs On New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is a time for fun.

It's a time to celebrate the end of one year and look forward to the start of another.

To Plymouth Police Officer Ryan Peterson it's also a time to be sensible by choosing not to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

"The biggest thing people need to make is good decisions, think about personal responsibility and take that seriously and realize ramifications can be extreme," Peterson said. "People need to understand that even though lots of people have heard of friends driving drunk and getting home fine it can take one mistake that hurts an innocent family."

Peterson said drivers need to think past the evening and immediate moment and try to make good decisions based on what could happen.

In Hennepin County from 2008–10, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 49 deaths and 96 serious injuries. During the same period, 20,589 people were arrested for DWI.

But Peterson said Plymouth Police aren't increasing patrols for New Year's Eve this year.

"We don’t have extra DWI patrols that operate on that night, but we are working prior to that night with other agencies doing a big saturation around the metro," he said. "We have extra cars looking for impaired drivers in December."

Though he's not basing numbers on official statistics, Peterson said usually a normal night could include five DWIs.

Peterson has not seen anything crazy or bizarre while being on patrol during different holidays and has not seen anything too bad since the fatal accident on St. Patrick's night this year.

"You will get people who when it gets around holidays, go out to have a good time and make a lapse in judgment," he said. " They decide to drive or do something they wouldn't normally do. One of the biggest things I see people do is underestimate how much they drank and how much it affects them."

Even after two beers someone can be too impaired to drive, Peterson said.

 "The last DWI arrest I had was a man leaving a hotel with his wife who was completely sober, but he was almost double the legal limit and behind the wheel," he said.

Peterson said police officers realize that Plymouth isn't a hub of public transit, especially on holidays and not everyone can afford a taxi.

"Often for people who drink and drive, it's their first time and they wouldn't have otherwise made the decision," he said. "They don't want to have to pay a taxi."

This year you can get a free ride on Saturday, Dec. 31, from 6 p.m. through the last scheduled trip on any route operated by Metro Transit, Metropolitan Council or Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. This is a new service for this time of year.

Also Northstar provides rides up to the last trip departs Target Field at 7 p.m. and the Hiawatha light-rail line and more than 25 bus routes will offer trips after midnight.

You can also give the gift of a safe lift with a "Designated Driver Gift Card." Card-givers offer to serve as a designated driver to support safe and sober roads. Gift cards can be downloaded at ots.dps.mn.gov.

New Year's Eve generally has a culture of drinking, but for Plymouth Police it seems more people are getting the message that it doesn't pay to drink and drive.

A DWI offense can result in loss of license for up to a year, thousands in costs and possible jail time. Stronger DWI sanctions are in effect for all repeat DWI offenders, as well as for motorists arrested for a first-time DWI with a 0.16 and above blood-alcohol concentration.

Plymouth Police Chief Michael Goldstein said it was a different story in the 1990s.

"It was a free-for-all in the '90s," he said. "DWI arrests were a dime a dozen before and your entire shift could easily be tied up with DWIs and calls for services like noise complaints."

But today such issues aren't as prevalent, Goldstein said.

There was an average of 170 alcohol-related traffic deaths annually during the last five years in Minnesota—accounting for one-third of all deaths on the state’s roads. Alcohol-related deaths have been declining in recent years—in 2010, there were 131 alcohol-related deaths, the fewest on record.