According to a study conducted at the end of last year by Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TRIF), DWI arrests for females have increased by 36% over the last decade.
You may remember in 2009, the mother who drove a minivan down the wrong side of a highway in New York and collided with another vehicle which caused her death and killed her daughter, three nieces, and three men in the other car. Later, the driving mother was determined to be intoxicated and high on drugs. This extreme accident made headlines across the country and triggered the Century Council to fund a study on women’s drunk driving.
The research revealed that the average female who drinks and drives is both older and more highly educated than men in the same situation. The study also showed that the average drunk-driving female has a lower-paying job and is the main care provider for her children.
Although the study findings got national attention, it may have also fallen on deaf ears as many females/mothers may have thought that the incident in 2009 didn’t share any resemblance to their own drinking, and that having a glass of wine or two to relieve some stress and then driving during the day won’t harm anyone. The problem of course is drawing the line… as obviously the study findings show some mothers are drinking one (or a few glasses) too many.
2012 Follow Up Study
The goal of this new study is to further expand the current data on female intoxicated drivers. The study aims to address important data gaps that were present in previous research as to the characteristics of women intoxicated drivers. This new TRIF study will focus on analyzing a wider variety of state data sources including collision, court, arrest, treatment data, probation as well as conduct focus groups with the first and repeat offenders to assess their attitudes, their behaviors and their characteristics.
It will also include interviews with professionals representing criminal justice and other agencies with hopes of identifying how women drunk drivers are managed in the DWI system. The follow-up study is not expected to be completed until Dec 2012.
Have You Been Recently Charged with DWI?
If you are a mother or any other female and have just been charged with DWI it’s vital you immediately contact a top DWI attorney in your area for the best possible resolution of your case. If you live in the Minneapolis St. Paul Metro area then you should contact Douglas T. Kans of Kans Law Firm. Mr. Kans has 17 years experience defending both men and women accused of DWI and other crimes.
