- By Landon Biehl
- Around Town
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In Tompkins County, the fight against drunk drivers is a prevalent issue we are always working to combat. Combined with other local communities across New York, the battle will always persist and requires the conscious efforts of citizens within an area to overcome. Regardless of your age or gender, an impaired driving accident can affect you without any control. The effects can have a tremendous impact on families from the decision of one person- related or not.
Tompkins County places a proactive approach to combating impaired driving and the police force closely monitors drivers who might be under the influence. However, it's not a topic that just one agency can tackle, and requires community members to come together. Education, proactive approaches such as demonstrations, media attention, and learned behavior are key factors that can help prevent this statewide issue.
Comparing Tompkins County
The state of New York is made up of roughly twenty-million residents. Tompkins County makes up just over 100,000 residents in comparison to the state population. Our fractional percentage of the overall population of New York state makes up less than one-percent of the total.
However, the county attributed three total fatal alcohol-related accidents throughout the years 2011-2016. Compared to other counties throughout New York, this statistic is relatively low. However, we must consider our size as well. The majority of fatal alcohol-related accidents occured throughout Suffolk, Nassau, Erie, and Monroe Counties. Relatively speaking, these areas make up a larger percentage of the population because of the nearness to larger cities.
New York State Findings
Men who are between the ages of twenty one and thirty two years old have the highest probability of being involved with a fatal alcohol related crash. Following closely behind, men slightly older- aged thirty two to forty nine are almost just as likely to become victims.
An overall of 742 fatal alcohol related accidents occurred between 2011-2016, as well as 128 drug-related fatal accidents throughout the state.
Surprisingly, more fatal accidents within this sector occurred on Sundays rather than a Friday, making up 169 of the total number of reported fatal accidents.
Eliminating Tompkins County Accidents
Three fatal accidents in Tompkins County is still three too many. As a community, we need to strive to eliminate our statistic from the mix. Parents can become more involved with their teens as they begin to make decisions after being in public facilities or attending events where alcohol is involved. We can share stories of eyewitness accounts with drunk-driving throughout the county in hopes we can shape more conscientious minds before getting behind the wheel.
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