SENATE MEMORIAL 27

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

David Ulibarri

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING JANUARY 31, 2008 AS "DWI AWARENESS DAY" AT THE NEW MEXICO SENATE.

     WHEREAS, in 2006 one hundred ninety-one persons lost their lives as a result of alcohol-involved fatalities in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, there are a minimum of three thousand alcohol-involved crashes in New Mexico each year, and many of the people involved in these crashes are severely injured; and

      WHEREAS, in 2007 alcohol was involved in more than forty-one percent of all traffic fatalities in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, each year approximately twenty thousand people are arrested due to drunk driving in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the average blood alcohol level for persons arrested in New Mexico for DWI was .19, over twice the legal limit for blood alcohol level; and

     WHEREAS, public education about the dangers of DWI has been shown to be one effective tool in reducing the number of traffic accidents involving drunk drivers;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 31, 2008 be proclaimed "DWI Awareness Day" at the senate in recognition of the impact of DWI incidents on the lives of New Mexicans and the importance of informing New Mexicans of the cost in human suffering, human lives and dollars of driving motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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