You can’t not watch this series of accidents. Someone with a cellphone captured an allegedly drunk driver in a parking lot slamming into a dozen parked vehicles. This occurred in Oregon City, Oregon. He also damaged two stores before police were finally able to get him to stop. 

What happened?

This starts out with the truck’s driver ramming several parked cars. Then, he changes his approach and starts ramming cars from the rear. One of the vehicles flies through the air. Included in all of this mayhem was damage to two storefronts when the truck driver pushed cars into them. 

Police were able to arrest Oregon City resident John Coady, who was allegedly driving the truck. He went to the hospital with injuries. There is no news as to his condition.

How many DUI convictions did the alleged drunk driver have?

Police records show that Coady had an incident in 2016 where is plead guilty to driving under the influence and also reckless driving. He received a misdemeanor charge at that time. Police charged him with driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, and reckless endangering. 

You may wonder how often drivers convicted of DUIs are repeat offenders. For that info, we went to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It says, on average, that a third of those either arrested or convicted will become repeat offenders. What’s worst is that 12 percent of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes had a prior DUI offense within three years. 

A study found 44 percent of DUI convictions led to a second conviction

One study done in California in the 1980s found that of those convicted of a DUI, 44 percent were convicted for a DUI again within 10 years. Of course, the percentage of repeat offenders varies from state to state. New Mexico had the worst rate with 47 percent in the 1990s. Minnesota was not far behind with 46 percent. 

These numbers are based on the 12 states that responded to the NHTSA’s request for DUI convictions. But that makes us wonder if the states that chose not to release the info were because of worse numbers? We can’t say for sure, but so you know the states that did respond were Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, California, New Mexico, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas, and Minnesota. 

However, a state not represented is Arizona, which has the toughest laws for first-time DUI offenders. You lose your driving privileges when you’re arrested. It was also the first state to incorporate ignition interlock devices for those found guilty of a DUI. Today, all 50 states have some type of ignition interlock requirement in sentencing. 

What state has the highest DUI fines?

Washington state has the highest DUI fines in the country. Besides the one-year jail time, and five years probation, the state requires $5,000. But that is all before attorney fees and other charges. It’s really expensive to drive drunk. 

If you’re convicted of DUI and a serious injury occurred, you get two and a half years in prison. Your driving license is revoked for three years for a DUI conviction in Ohio. 

So besides the pain and suffering that can result from involving another vehicle, the monetary costs, jail time, and loss of driving privileges should be enough to give pause to whether it is really worth it to drive buzzed or intoxicated. With Lyft and Uber available, doesn’t it make sense to include them in your drinking and traveling plans?