BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The fight against drinking and driving continues.
Last year, there were 2,400 DWI arrests in all of Erie County. The Erie County Sheriff's Office arrested 238 people, primarily in rural areas, for driving while intoxicated. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said that number is about the same as it was in 2017.
Erie County STOP-DWI is one of the leading agencies that helps curb drunk driving. Their mission is the reduce the number of people killed or injured in alcohol or other drug-related traffic crashes. They promote DWI prevention as a priority and coordinate local efforts ranging from law enforcement to education and rehabilitation.
"You really can't come off the gas," he said. "We have to keep doing what we're doing and stick to basics."
Sullivan said that if marijuana is legalized in New York, there will likely be more car crashes related to the drug's use.
AAA of Western and Central New York late last month announced the start of the "100 Deadliest Days", which is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, where teen fatal crashes increase by 17 percent.
"More teens are out on the road," Public Information Director Elizabeth Carey said. "School lets out, they're excited to be out there. They just had graduation, prom, and everything else. They're ready to make a great summer. But at the same time, the top three reasons why they get in the crashes are speeding, drinking and driving, and distraction."
While AAA continues to get the message out, Carey said parents need to be good role models for their kids.
AAA is hosting a statewide summit about impaired driving and DWI on Friday at Salvatore's Italian Gardens from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. They will feature a speaker from the NTSB. Additionally, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn will speak with students at Lackawanna High School on Wednesday morning. Listen to WBEN on Wednesday morning to hear more from the district attorney.
