Articles
Rhode Island DUI arrests vary depending on location
A newspaper analysis showed depending on where a suspected drunken driver is could determine the likelihood of being pulled over for driving under the influence (DUI) in Rhode Island.
According to the Providence Journal, last year, Providence police reported 24 DUI arrests, South Kingston reported 120 in the same period and towns including Burrillville, Tiverton, Hopkinton and Glocester made between 35 and 57 DUI arrests.
Rhode Island state police said it has focused on DUI enforcement since February. During the first six months of this year, troopers made 253 DUI arrests, an increase from the number of DUI arrests made in 2004, according to state police spokesman Maj. Steve O’Donnell.
Police say state laws prevent them from enforcing DUI laws as effectively because suspected DUI drivers are allowed to refuse a breath test for alcohol. Suspects can avoid a criminal record in place of a three-month license suspension under Rhode Island law, but the police can still charge these drivers with drunken driving without using the driver’s blood alcohol level as evidence.
Last year, the attorney general’s office said 1,527 drivers refused to take the breath test for alcohol. In 1989, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that checkpoints violate the state constitution, making it one of just 11 states where police can’t use that strategy, according to the newspaper report.
Some national experts believe regular use of police checkpoints, aggressive patrolling and more publicity is the most effective way of curbing drunken driving deaths.
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