Police were out on New Year’s Eve to try to catch drunk drivers and the Brown County Sheriff’s department says it’s been an issue the entire year.
Captain Dan Sandberg says when alcohol was involved in deadly crashes in the county, the average blood-alcohol level was .243. He says that’s more than three times the legal limit, and it’s crazy that people are driving at those levels. He says it’s especially concerning around the holidays.
Twenty people have died in 18 crashes in Brown County in 2018. He says 40 percent involved alcohol or drugs. Sandberg says they’ve also seen an increase in the number of people driving while high. He says drugs can affect people just as much as alcohol.
The state DOT reports alcohol, drugs, or both were a factor in 155 fatal crashes in the state in 2018.
