Police Say New York State Woman Drove Over 3X Legal Limit on Thruway

This is not someone you're going to want to be facing if you're on the road. With the summer months here, people tend to be out and about more and stay out later. If you're drinking, you're going to want to have a designated driver, or maybe find a cab or Uber.

Police say a New York state woman was way over the legal limit when she was pulled over Tuesday evening on one of the most traveled routes in the area. Considering how many people take this road on any given day, she's lucky she didn't hurt or kill someone or herself.

Drunk Driving Near New Paltz, NY

WNYT is reporting that the 37-year-old woman was pulled over for traffic violations Tuesday evening on the Thruway, outside New Paltz. Officials felt that the woman from Malta was intoxicated, and their tests proved it when her blood alcohol level was measured at .28%, according to WNYT. That is three and a half times the state's legal limit of .08%. Police turned her over to a third party who eventually drove her home, and she is due back in court on August 3.

Hudson Valley Man Flips Car But Keeps Driving 

It was a pretty wild night back in early April 2022, as police were called to reports of a motor vehicle that had crashed and rolled, but somehow landed upright on its wheel and then continued to drive.

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Police say a 24-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with DWI after the incident. Luckily, no one was hurt though. It's another example of a person who allegedly had a few too many drinks and still decided to get behind the wheel.

The Suffern Police Department shared on the Facebook page that the incident happened early Friday morning on Route 202. Police were called after the vehicle struck an embankment in Haverstraw and completely rolled over. Police say the suspect somehow was able to continue driving the vehicle even though it had suffered heavy damage during the impact. Officials say the vehicle was seen swerving over the centerline of Wayne Ave in the village of Suffern, with no side view mirrors and broken side windows.

The driver was soon pulled over after being spotted by an officer. Police did not indicate exactly how much the man had to drink.

Could the State's BAC be Lowered?

A number of lawmakers have pushed in recent years to lower the state's legal limit, and now a Senator is proposing a new bill that he feels would save many lives. New York's current blood alcohol limit is .08%. If Senator John Liu from Queens has his way, it will be pushed down to 0.5%.

Liu even told the New York Post that lowering the limit is one of his top priorities. All states across the country had adopted the current legal limit of .08% by 2004. Currently, only Utah has a limit of .05%, which went into effect at the end of 2018. Would lowering New York's legal limit makes a big difference in the number of alcohol-related fatalities each year? Or will the repeat offenders find a way to still drink and then get behind the wheel anyway?

Those like Senator Liu have their share of supporters. Thomas Louizou, a former federal traffic safety official and founder of the .05 Saves Lives coalition said that "virtually everyone is impaired at .05, we know that from studies." Louizou went on to say that 114 other countries across the world have lower legal limits than the United States.