Following an increase in arrests of individuals driving whereas intoxicated or impaired from November 2021 to January 2022, the College of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Division is offering suggestions for college students on indicators of an intoxicated or impaired driver and what actions they will take to assist maintain the roads of Lincoln protected.
Driving whereas intoxicated or impaired, or DWI, is nearly the identical as driving underneath the affect, or DUI, in line with John Backer, captain of patrol providers at UNLPD. One of many essential variations between DWIs and DUIs comes right down to penalties, however they’re in any other case largely the identical, Backer mentioned.
Backer mentioned UNLPD officers don’t do DWI or DUI checkpoints, that are regulation enforcement operated roadblocks the place police examine the sobriety of each driver that goes via the checkpoint.
“We do take enforcement motion after we suspect a DWI as a result of that has a direct influence on campus security,” Backer mentioned. “Once we come throughout a driver who we suspect could also be driving underneath the affect, then we proceed with an investigation as a result of we acknowledge how vital it’s to get that particular person off the street only for the security of everybody else.”
In line with Backer, among the indicators of somebody who’s intoxicated or impaired or that somebody who’s driving is intoxicated or impaired are:
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Delayed or slowed reactions
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Slurred speech
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Stumbling over themselves
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Problem strolling or swaying whereas standing
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Odor of alcohol
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Not stopping for cease lights
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Almost hitting individuals or obstacles
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Turning into an incorrect lane
“The odor of alcohol is primarily the largest one and the primary indicator that we come throughout when we’ve got a visitors cease,” Backer mentioned.
Backer mentioned {that a} slowed physiological response time and impaired judgment are essentially the most harmful points of somebody driving whereas they’re intoxicated or impaired. For instance, a slower physiological response time can result in somebody not stopping in time or complicated the gasoline and the brake, whereas impaired judgment can result in somebody rushing, taking extra dangers when driving or street rage, in line with Backer.
In 2020, there was a considerable drop in DWI arrests since there have been loads fewer college students and folks on campus, and bars and different institutions weren’t all the time open because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with Backer. UNLPD officers made 24 DWI arrests in 2020 and 47 DWI arrests in 2021. There have been three DWI arrests in August 2021, one DWI arrest in September, two arrests in October, one arrest in November, 5 arrests in December and 6 arrests in January 2022.
“Throughout the summer time months, we’re not as busy [with] requires service as a result of the inhabitants on campus is way decrease, so you might have extra officers accessible to search for security violations whereas driving,” Backer mentioned.
Outdoors of sure holidays and events that are likely to result in elevated alcohol consumption, such because the Fourth of July or Memorial Day, UNLPD doesn’t expertise many alternatives for grants via state and federal funding to extend DWI enforcement, Backer mentioned.
Outdoors of these funding alternatives, Backer mentioned that it’s largely a matter of staffing on UNLPD’s half. It will depend on what number of officers they’ve accessible to detect these driving violations and what number of workers there are in comparison with the quantity of calls they obtain from individuals who want help from them.
“Site visitors enforcement actually is simply part of what we do,” Backer mentioned. “It’s vital for security, simply to maintain everybody slowed down on campus. Clearly we’re a really pedestrian-heavy space, so we need to give attention to that, however it’s clearly only a small a part of every part that we do on campus.”
If somebody suspects {that a} driver is intoxicated or impaired, Backer mentioned to name 911, which is able to alert each the Lincoln Police Division and UNLPD.
“I encourage [calling 911],” Backer mentioned. “Generally individuals are hesitant to get others in bother, however we actually are speaking [about] saving lives [at] this level.”
