DWI Hit Parade!

Calvert County, Maryland, Sheriff Mike Evans

Calvert County, MD.  – Every 18 hours a person was killed on Maryland roadways in 2011, totaling 486 deaths for the year.  Preventing such daily tragedies from striking Maryland families is why Maryland law enforcement agencies are joining together for a statewide campaign called Toward Zero Deaths.
From speeding to seatbelt compliance to driving while impaired, Toward Zero Deaths is focused on reducing highway mortality.  The effort will focus on the causes of highway fatalities with public health efforts, communications outreach and other elements.  This initiative brings together law enforcement, highway safety officials, emergency medical responders, and champions in the community, in an effort to change the perception of safety on the roadways.  Airplane, railway and ocean liner deaths are not acceptable. Why are motor vehicle deaths accepted as part of the cost for driving on our roadways?
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office is proud to join in the Toward Zero Deaths campaign, which kicked off August 1. “For too long, we as a society have accepted highway mayhem as a tragic but unremarkable aspect of modern life,” said Sheriff Mike Evans, “Toward Zero Deaths is about fundamentally changing the way we look at blood shed on the highway.”   
“We are fully committed to doing everything in our power to drive Maryland highway fatalities ‘toward zero deaths.’  Motorists need to slow down, buckle up, pay attention to the rules of the road, and make smart decisions before getting behind the wheel.  If they fail to do so, we will pull them over,” warned Sheriff Evans.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the last six months of the year are the deadliest on the state’s roadways.  Over a five year span, there were 13 percent more fatalities on the roads in Maryland from July to December than during the first six months.

James Southard Jr.
From KIRO TV
BONNEY LAKE, Washington —It was November of 1999 when Shawn Fairbanks was killed by a drunken driver.
The driver’s name was James Southard Jr.
For Fairbanks’ family, the loss has been devastating, especially for his son and daughter, who were very young when their father was killed.
“I’ve been upset for years because I haven’t had a father there to comfort me on the days that I need,” said his daughter, Taylor Fairbanks.
“It was really painful for me growing up without a father, so seeing this happen again – I can’t believe it’s happened again,” said Fairbanks’ son, Nicholas. “I just hope he gets what he deserves.”
Southard has once again been accused in a fatal DUI crash.
This time, the alleged victim is Gary Slick….MORE

Not his first rodeo!
From NJ.com
The driver who crashed into a Jersey City Heights Dunkin’ Donutslast night, injuring eight people, has been charged with DWI, multiple counts of assault by auto and multiple motor vehicle violations, police said.
Police said Marco J. Guardiola, 55, of New York Avenue in Jersey City, was driving with a suspended license when his 1999 Isuzu Rodeo SUV smashed into the front of the crowded coffee shop at the corner of Central Avenue and Griffith Street at 8:40 p.m., spewing shards of glass everywhere.
He was treated for minor injuries at the Jersey City Medical Center and released into police custody this morning at 5 a.m. ….MORE

From News Tribune
A man who killed a passenger 11 years ago while driving drunk has racked up his second DUI since then.
Steven Jay Wilson, 46, pleaded not guilty Monday to felony driving under the influence and second-degree driving on a suspended license.
He was convicted last year of felony driving under the influence. In 1991, he pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide after he crashed his Corvette into a tree in Pierce County, killing one of his passengers, Gretchen Wilson.
Court records do not indicate if they were related.
His latest charge stems from an incident Friday in the 5600 block of Pacific Avenue of Tacoma. Two officers noticed him driving erratically and pulled him over. ….MORE

From Business Week Bloomberg
Most drunk drivers causing fatal crashes in the U.S. have consumed about twice as much alcohol as laws allow, the top U.S. auto-safety regulator said.
Requiring ignition-interlock devices, which are designed to prevent drunk drivers from starting their cars, for first-time offenders is the “best overall policy,” David Strickland, head of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said today at a press conference in Washington. It’s up to states to implement that requirement, he said.  ….MORE

From Edmontonjournal.com
A man accused of drunk driving causing the death of 38-year-old Kelli-Jo Denise Smith on Sunday morning was granted bail on his first appearance in provincial court on Tuesday.
Judge Bruce Fraser ordered the release of Ramandeep Singh Jaswal, 27, who faces charges of impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm to Smith’s husband Sean Mahoney, and refusing to provide a breath sample.
Jaswal must post $5,000 cash before being released, then either another $5,000 cash or $15,000 in non-cash assets from another source.
Crown prosecutor Jonathan Hak did not consent to the accused’s release during the hearing.
Troy Mahoney said his brother Sean, 50, is in the trauma unit ….MORE