Should DUI Limit Be Lowered To 0.05?

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.

One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. What do you think? Is the proposal reasonable? About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink. There were 24 DUI fatalities in Rhode Island in 2012, which were 34 percent of traffic-related fatalities last year, according to Mothers …

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Johnston Woman Charged With DUI Following Accident in SK

Lauren E. Hauser, 25, of 111 George St., Johnston, was arrested at about 10:51 p.m. on April 27 and charged with drunken driving.

A 25-year-old Johnston woman was charged with driving under the influence after she allegedly crashed into another car stopped at a traffic light on Route 1 in South Kingstown. Police said Lauren E. Hauser, 25, of 111 George St., Johnston, was arrested at about 10:51 p.m. on April 27. According to police, they received a report of a car driven by Hauser hitting the back of another car while it was stopped at a traffic light on Route 1 near All Outdoors. Police said that while interviewing Hauser about the accident, she smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words. Police said that Hauser repeatedly apologized for the accident. According to police, Hauser consented to field sobriety tests, which she failed. Police said Hauser also …

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DUI Suspect to Police: ‘I Ran For God Damn Congress!’

Former congressional candidate Michael G. Riley, 56, is charged with resisting arrest and drunken driving early Wednesday morning in Narragansett.

Information about the following incidents was supplied by the Narragansett Police Department and files at Fourth Division District Court in Wakefield. An arrest does not indicate a conviction. Michael G. Riley, 56, of 444 Ocean Road, Narragansett, a former former Republican nominee for Congress, was arrested at about 2 a.m. Wednesday by Narragansett police and charged with drunken driving and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors, and cited for refusing to submit to a chemical test. According to Narragansett Police Department reports, patrolman James M. Fitzgerald was monitoring traffic from the parking lot of Maridee Bait and Tackle at about 1:45 a.m. Fitzgerald wrote that he saw a grey Lexus traveling south on Point Judith Road move as if…

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Penalties Stiffened for DUI With Child Passengers

A bill that stiffens penalties for drunken driving charges with children in the car has passed the Rhode Island Senate, and now heads to the House.

Parents who drive under the influence with children in the car will be in worse trouble after the State Senate approved legislation this week to stiffen penalties for adults who drive under the influence with a child in their vehicle. “Driving under the influence is a serious offense, but it rises to a new level of danger when it endangers a helpless child. People who drive drunk with a child in their cars are committing a much more serious crime than DUI, and they deserve a much more significant sentence,” said Senator Goodwin (D Providence). “This bill sends a message that putting a child’s life at risk in this way will not be tolerated in Rhode Island.” Current Rhode Island law allows those convicted of DUI who committed the crime with…

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What Do I Do If Pulled Over for DUI?

Patch sat down with a local DUI lawyer to learn about your rights.

As lawmakers discuss strengthening DUI laws in Rhode Island, the consequences for being found guilty of drunk driving could become even more severe.   Local DUI Attorney Kevin Hagan said that while it is vital that law enforcement protect the residents they serve and enforce the law, it is equally important that residents understand their rights when they are pulled over.   “I’m not beating the drum that police shouldn’t be doing their job," Hagan said. “If people know their rights, it helps law enforcement do a better job.” “The bottom line is very simple; people shouldn’t drink and drive." But police have a job to do, and a criminal defense lawyer has a job and obligation to uphold the Constitution, he said. What should you do if police…

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Lawmakers Work to Close DUI Loophole for Drivers Under 21

Current Rhode Island DUI laws allow drivers under the age of 21 to have more alcohol in their system than drivers of legal drinking age.

A loophole in Rhode Island law allows drivers under the age of 21 to have a higher alcohol content than those of legal drinking age, something legislators are working on closing. For adults over the age of 21 the legal limit is .08, but for drivers under 21, the limit is .10 before the charge is criminal. A bill (H5432/S0560) will be discussed this week to close the gap, as part of a number of legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s DUI laws and improve highway safety, authored by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. “It just makes sense that it is .08, for consistency sake, regardless of the age of the person,” said Sen. Louis DiPalma (Newport, Middletown, Tiverton, Little Compton) who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. …

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OMG PD

OMG PD: Female Drivers Behaving Badly

We compile the odd, unusual and ‘oh my gosh’ police items from throughout the region.

Editor's Note: With the common theme of women drivers getting arrested, we've put this week's OMG PD under a common headline. Read more to find out why... Take My Wife, Please: A Johnston woman faces charges of committing a hit-and-run and driving without a license after the car she was driving reportedly hit another car from behind. When an officer went to her apartment, he heard a man yelling from inside; when the officer knocked on the door, the man answered and told the cop, "Come in and take her. She took my car and hit another car on Putnam Ave." The husband told police he was sleeping when his wife took the car. At her Feb. 15 arraignment, she was hit with more than $1,000 in court costs and fines. DUI Times 2: Police charged a …

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Police Log: Dec. 8 to Dec. 11

This is a summary of reports provided to JohnstonPatch by the Johnston Police Department for Dec.8 to Dec. 11. Where an arrest is reported, it does not indicate a conviction.

Simple Assault at Stop & Shop: Johnston Police arrested Alaina Bonafiglia, 26, of 56 Walnut St., Johnston, on a charge of simple assault and battery. Sgt. Dennis Peacock and Ptlm. Mario Mennella Jr. responded to a call of an assault that took place at Stop & Shop on Dec. 1 around 5:30 p.m. The victim told Mennella that she was shopping in the store when she saw Bonafiglia with family members in the store. The victim and Bonafiglia “have had issues in the past,” according to Mennella’s report. The victim thought Bonafiglia was following her so she wanted to leave before something happened. The victim paid for her items, and Bonafiglia reportedly approached her as she left the store. Bonafiglia allegedly yelled obscenities at the victim and …

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Police Log: Oct. 14 to Oct. 17

This is a summary of reports provided to JohnstonPatch by the Johnston Police Department for Oct. 14 to Oct. 17. Where an arrest is reported, it does not indicate a conviction.

Three arrested before house party: Johnston Police arrested three people on Oct. 14 as they gathered to attend a house party on Allendale Avenue. Det. Christopher DeCesare and Det. Lt. Frank Levesque noticed several people in the roadway and a large number of cars “gathering around 81 Allendale Avenue” as they patrolled the area on Friday night. According to police reports, the detectives saw one of the men walking in the roadway drinking a beer and carrying an opened 30-pack of beer. The man identified himself as Christian J. Laboissonniere, 19, of 101 Farnum Pike, Smithfied. Laboissonniere told the detectives he was “going to a house party and he was getting drunk,” according to DeCesare’s report. People began to disperse as more …

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