Many different things mix well with alcohol, but driving is not one of them.
The number of drunken drivers in Auburn has risen steadily over the past five years; the highest percentage being within the age group of 18 to 24-year-olds.
This age group made up more than 67 percent of all DUI arrests during the past five years, according to the Auburn Police Department.
"Our numbers might be skewed because we are in a college town," Police Capt. Tom Stofer said.
Of the 67 percent of DUI arrests, around 30 percent were under the age of 21.
"It doesn't matter if the legal age was 15 or 30, the issue is to stay out from behind the wheel," Stofer said.
In 2008, the Auburn Police Department shows that of the 348 DUI arrests, 103 of them were made because of a traffic accident.
Stofer said drinking and driving is at the top of the department's priority list.
"We don't cut any slack," Stofer said. "It is for safety."
An alternative to getting behind the wheel after a night out is to call a taxi.
"I learned you don't realize just how dangerous it is until it's too late," said Eli McCrory, a junior in building science. "You're out having a good time and then things just escalate so quickly that you get behind a wheel without even thinking."
Adam Leger, a junior in landscape horticulture, said he admitted to having a few drinks after being pulled over for a busted tag light.
"I was like any other student thinking I could get away with it (drinking and driving)," Leger, said. "No one thinks they'll get caught."
Leger passed the sobriety field test and his blood alcohol content was under the legal limit.
"I got lucky and since then, I've learned not to think twice, and I always find an alternate way to get home," Leger said.
Stofer said the best form of prevention for drinking and driving is education and enforcement.
According to the Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, each year approximately 16,000 people are killed in alcohol related crashes, alcohol is a factor in almost half of all traffic fatalities and every other minute a person is seriously injured in an alcohol related crash.
"(Drunken driving) is irresponsible, and if you can't make somewhat safe and smart decisions while drinking or know your cut-off point, then you shouldn't be drinking at all," Paige Reiber, a senior in health administration for nursing, said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
