NONE for the ROAD

Authorities warn New Year’s Eve partiers

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — If you’re arrested for drunken driving after a New Year’s Eve gathering or any other occasion where alcohol is served, that event could become the most- expensive party of your life.

Average total expenses for a first-time DUI offender, whose case does not involve an accident, are likely to accumulate to about $7,500, including lawyer, towing and court fees and higher insurance premiums, said J. Gerald Ingram, a prominent defense lawyer and former Mahoning County Bar Association president.

“In terms of economic reality, pay the designated driver, and do not drive a motor vehicle after you’ve had one drink,” Ingram advised.

“It’s too costly. The short period of enjoyment you may get while you’re out there drinking in the bar isn’t worth the consequences,” said Jay Macejko, city prosecutor.

“Call a taxicab company. Call one of the designated-driver services. Call a friend. Call anyone you can. Do not get behind the wheel” if you’ve been drinking, he warned.

A first drunken-driving offense is a first-degree misdemeanor that carries up to 180 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

Ingram said even if the charge is amended to a lesser offense, most judges would make the offender go to a special driver-education school and pay a fine and court costs. Insurance-premium increases also can be expected.

If police or the Ohio State Highway Patrol charge someone with DUI in Youngstown Municipal Court, Macejko said the likelihood he’ll allow a guilty plea to a lesser charge, such as reckless operation, is minimal.

“You’re truly putting not only your future economic well-being at risk, but you’re putting your freedom at risk for a substantial period of time,” Macejko added.

A conviction for driving while under the influence of alcohol could cost the offender his or her job if the job involves driving; and subsequent offenses bring higher fines, mustard-colored DUI-offender-identification license plates and ignition-interlock-system installations, said Youngstown Police Chief Jimmy Hughes.

If a drunken driver causes an accident with injuries or death, more-serious charges apply, Hughes said.

“If you seriously injure or kill someone while you’re drinking, you’re looking at prison time” under a felony conviction, Macejko said.

Macejko’s office prosecutes between 225 and 260 drunken- driving cases annually in Youngs-town Municipal Court.

“It has gone up in the last few years with the involvement and assistance of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Mahoning County OVI [Operating a Vehicle while Impaired] Task Force,” Macejko said. The task force is a collaborative effort of local police agencies to apprehend those who operate a vehicle while impaired.

The highway patrol and the task force have announced they’ll have increased patrols during peak holiday periods.

“New Year’s Eve is the No. 1 DUI check in America,” said Mark Cole, Mercer and Lawrence County franchise owner for Chauffeurs4hire.com, a national network of professional chauffeurs who drive their clients’ vehicles.

Those who drive under the influence on New Year’s Eve face a high probability of being stopped by police; and if they’re stopped and suspected of being under the influence, they’ll be arrested, Hughes said. “The main corridors will be heavily checked along with some of the secondary streets,” he said.

State grant money targeted for traffic and anti-DUI enforcement will pay for extra officers, including some overtime hours that night, Hughes said. About 20 extra city police officers will be on duty that night to augment regular patrols, he added.

When traffic is light at bar- closing times, police in suburban communities “have all kinds of time” to focus on the relatively few drivers on the road, Ingram observed. “They concentrate their patrols on areas where there are a lot of bars,” he added.

By hiring a limousine or a designated driver, “Everybody has the opportunity to go out and enjoy themselves for a few bucks a person,” Cole said.

“The customers are able to go out and enjoy themselves and not worry about anything. The bar owners are going to make more money, and society is safe,” said Nick Doinoff of North Lima, president and co-founder of dd4hire.com, which has franchises in Phoenix and Houston.

The Boardman headquarters of dd4hire.com provides rent-free office space to the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

“We highly recommend that you plan your evening in advance,” said Mark A. Bagnoli, founder of Chauffeurs4hire.com and president of FAB Limousines Inc.

“The best thing is to book ahead,” Doinoff said, adding that the night before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day “are by far the busiest three days of the year for us.”

The highway patrol recently released statistics showing Mahoning County ranks seventh and Trumbull County 10th among Ohio’s 88 counties in arrests for intoxicated driving made by the patrol over the 23 months ending Nov. 30 this year. Mahoning logged 1,207 such arrests, and Trumbull logged 1,089 over that period.

Last year, Ohio had 1,190 traffic fatalities, of which 356 involved an alcohol-impaired driver. In 2007, Ohio had 1,255 traffic fatalities, of which 389 involved an alcohol-impaired driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In Pennsylvania, there were 1,468 traffic fatalities last year, of which 496 involved an alcohol- impaired driver. In 2007, there were 1,491 Pennsylvania traffic fatalities, of which 504 involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

milliken@vindy.com