First-time DWI arrests increase Memorial Day weekend

Arrests for first-time DWI offenders were up more than 41 percent during this year’s Memorial Day weekend, according to Midland County Sheriff’s Office arrest records.

There were 18 DWI arrests between Friday and Monday — the same number of arrests in 2012 during the holiday’s four-day weekend time frame, according to the records.

Of this year’s arrests, 17 were first-time offenders, five more than last year. Fifteen DWIs were Class B misdemeanors, an 87.50 percent increase. There weren’t any second- or third-time offenders this Memorial Day weekend.

Public intoxication arrests also were up by 20 percent with 24 charges, four more than the holiday weekend in 2012.

This past weekend also saw one arrest for intoxicated manslaughter when a San Angelo man struck a motorcyclist Saturday night and fled the scene on foot, according to previous Reporter-Telegram articles.

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter said he attributes the increase in arrests of first-time offenders to a greater law enforcement presence on the roadways.

He said that during this year’s Crude Fest, the Sheriff’s Office made more arrests related to alcohol, which prompted increased enforcement during the Memorial Day weekend, when many people were expected to be consuming alcohol.

The Midland Police Department has made 240 DWI arrests through May 20 of this year, according to Sara Higgins, the city’s public information officer. She said it’s not surprising to see an increase in DWI arrests with the city’s rapidly growing population.

The law enforcement increase comes in the wake of a “drastic” rise in alcohol-related accidents, Painter said.

In the past three fatal crashes in Midland County, the drivers all were under the influence of alcohol, according to Reporter-Telegram records. With the National Transportation Safety Board’s recent recommendation to lower the legal blood alcohol content limit from 0.08 to 0.05, Painter said the legal limit should be even lower.

“I want to see the legal limit lowered to 0.02,” he said.

Painter said people should not be drinking and driving, regardless of how much alcohol they have consumed. He said with less restrictive alcohol laws, people frequently will take advantage of the law.

“If you give them a foot, they’re going to take a mile,” he said.

Painter said the best and safest place to consume alcohol is at home or a place where a person can stay and not get back on the roadways. Memorial Day Weekend 2013 Statistics

First-time offenders: 17 (41.67 percent more than 2012)

Open container of alcohol: 1 (one more than 2012)

Public intoxication: 24 (four more than 2012)

DWI: 15 (87.50 percent more than 2012)

2nd DWI : 0 (three fewer than 2012)

3rd DWI: 0 (three fewer than 2012)

DWI open alcohol container: 2 (one more than 2012)

2nd DWI open alcohol container: 0 (one fewer than 2012)

DWI with child under 15 years of age: 0 (one fewer than 2012)

Minor in possession of alcohol: 0 (two fewer than 2012)

Intoxicated manslaughter: 1 (one more than 2012)

DWI with a BAC >= 0.15: 0 (one fewer than 2012)

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Source: My west Texas (White, 5/28)

Food Recalls Driven by Companies Issuing Multiple Recalls in the First Quarter of 2013

According to the ExpertRECALL Index released today, nearly three out of four food recalls in the first quarter of this year were issued by companies facing two or more recalls during the 90-day period, a situation that is taxing the resources of food companies to successfully navigate the logistical challenges and regulatory complexities of recalls.

The Index found that 73.4 percent of food recalls documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involved companies with two or more recalls. A total of 133 food companies instituted recalls during this period, affecting 9.7 million units of products such as bread and flour products, bagged fruits and vegetables, and frozen entrees. Many times, the multiple recalls occur because of an issue with an ingredient that is used in more than one product.

"It is not unusual for companies to face more than one recall at a time, driven largely by the fact that ingredients are used in more than one product," said Mike Rozembajgier, Vice President of Stericycle ExpertRECALL. "However, the ongoing trend of multiple product recalls can complicate the logistics of a recall, making it harder for companies to communicate to consumers and maintain trust in their brand."

For the first time since its inception, the Index includes data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which involve recalls of meat, poultry and egg products. An analysis of data from the first quarter found that extraneous material was the single largest cause of USDA-requested recalls this quarter, accounting for more than one in four recalls (28 percent). Of these recalls, more than half were the result of traces of plastic found in products.

Undeclared allergens were the second most frequent cause of recalls reported by the USDA, with a total of five product recalls this quarter. Following the Center for Disease Control's recent report on the heightened levels of food allergies in children, this is a poignant reminder to food companies just how important managing food ingredients and food labeling is. It also points to the need for a clear and well-rehearsed recall plan for when issues arise.

Multiple recalls was also a trend echoed in the medical device industry, as close to 40 percent of companies named in FDA Enforcement reports faced two or more recalls in the second quarter.  This demonstrates the need for device companies to implement stringent quality control throughout the supply chain, including supplier components.

Consumer product recalls decreased overall from the previous quarter, but the number of affected units increased dramatically from 3 million units to more than 6 million units. This was driven primarily by one product recall that affected 2.3 million units, nearly half of the total units recalled this quarter. In particular, sports and recreational equipment product recalls reached the highest level of activity in 11 quarters with 26 recalls issued.

The pharmaceutical industry experienced 107 drug and pharmaceutical recalls in the first quarter, an increase of 32 percent from the previous quarter. Compounding pharmacies continue to show frequent recall activity, with one pharmacy issuing 13 individual events alone.

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source: Fierce Pharma Manufacturing

Texas senator says 0.05 blood alcohol limit ‘not realistic’

Don’t expect Texas’ legal blood alcohol limit for drunken driving to fall to 0.05, at least not while state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, is still running the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

“It’s just not realistic, if you’re going to drink at all,” said Whitmire, who was chairing that same committee in 1999 when Texas joined a nationwide movement and lowered the limit from 0.1 to the current 0.08. A woman weighing 120 pounds or less can reach a 0.05 blood alcohol limit with just one drink, studies show.

Meanwhile, the Texas office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said a 0.05 limit would save lives in the long run.

The National Transportation Safety Board staff recommended the lower threshold as one of several recommendations aimed at reducing drunken driving.

Angela Tidwell, law enforcement program specialist for the Texas office of MADD, said the recommendation isn’t aimed at stripping people of their right to drink.

“We’re not trying to be prohibitionists,” she said. “We just want everyone to get home safe.”

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement Tuesday the idea was worth exploring, but he stopped short of endorsing it.

“APD is aware that this issue is being discussed at the national level,” Acevedo said. “It is a standard that has been adopted in other Western nations and an issue worthy of robust exploration and debate.”

Whitmire said that those campaigning in 1999 for the 0.08 blood alcohol content threshold said that would be as low a limit as they would seek. The lobbyist for MADD, Whitmire said, told him “you’re not going to see us again on this.”

What needs to happen, he said, is more education about the dangers of driving while intoxicated, and encouragement for people to use a designated driver. Whitmire said, only half-jokingly, that setting the limit at 0.05 would have the effect of criminalizing mouthwash.


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Source: Austin American-Stateman (Chang, 5/14)

Round Rock increases use of flashing yellow arrow lights

Motorists in Round Rock are undergoing a transition in how they manage left turns.

On Nov. 13, the city began converting the left-turn signals along some of its busiest corridors. The new systems, which add a flashing yellow arrow to the existing green, yellow and red arrow signals already in place, were first installed along University Boulevard and have since expanded to Gattis School Road.

The changes, which were done in compliance with new federal and state standards for left-turn signals, are designed to eliminate confusion as to the meaning of left-turn signals, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Round Rock transportation officials, however, admit the new system will take some time and experience for motorists to adjust to.

“There is no question there is a bit of a learning curve,” Round Rock Transportation Director Gary Hudder said. “But I have seen over the last weeks an improved understanding. At this point I would say I’m a believer.”

The flashing yellow arrows act as a replacement left-turn signal to the green circle light, which according to TxDOT was commonly confused to mean a protected left turn. When drivers are given a flashing yellow arrow signal, it indicates that left turns are allowed, but that motorists should yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians in walkways. The remaining light signals act as they did prior to the change. A steady green arrow indicates a protected turn, a steady red arrow indicates stopping and a steady yellow arrow means drivers should prepare to stop.

“The No. 1 benefit is improved safety,” TxDOT spokeswoman Kelli Reyna said. “People already have it ingrained in their mind that yellow means slow down or stop, so it is helping them to be more cautious.”

Hudder said one benefit of the new system is improved traffic flow. The new system allows traffic systems to display the flashing yellow lights when in the past the lights would have remained red. The result is an increase in the amount of cars turning left during the average light cycle.

“We have seen up to a 30 percent improvement in left-turn through traffic,” Hudder said.

According to evidence collected by another Texas city that has been running the flashing yellow arrow system, the greatest benefit may be to traffic flow, not drivers’ safety.

The City of Waco began installing the flashing yellow arrow systems in June 2010, soon after the new federal mandates were released. The city is currently studying the effect of the light systems and has noticed an increase in accidents at several of the intersections since the change, said Colin Taylor, a City of Waco traffic analyst.

“Whenever you change a signal system, it is something that people take some time to get used to,” Taylor said.

The City of Waco’s Transportation Department released a study one year after the installation of its first flashing yellow arrow signals that found a slight increase in the number of accidents but a decrease in travel time along some corridors.

“While the safety for some approaches ... [has] not improved due to the allowance of permissive left-turns ... the amount of delays, stops and consumption of fuel has been greatly reduced due to this implementation,” the report stated.

The new systems are only required in newly constructed intersections. Round Rock’s Transportation Department, however, decided to integrate the system onto some of its busiest roads to coincide with the retiming of its light signals. Hudder said the city already has plans to add the flashing yellow lights to intersections along Old Settlers Boulevard and is also planning to include signals along Hwy. 79 and RM 620 in the near future.

Hudder said the conversion to the new system will cost the city an average of $1,500–$2,000 per intersection, paid from the city’s existing traffic signal budget.

“This is a pretty intricate process,” Hudder said about the light conversions. “It does require different [signal] hardware and sometimes computer software as well.”

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Source: Impact Newspaper (Eichmiller, 5/2)