CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Nearly two weeks ago, Chesterfield resident Leslie Andorful was killed after driver Donna Browning hit her car head on. This past weekend Dorothy Beach lost her life after driver Christopher Brasher ran into her head on. Both Browning and Brasher were charged with DUI.
“We all have a role in stopping drunk driving, certainly the most important person is the person that’s drinking and they need to plan ahead,” said Chris Konschak with MADD.
Konschak said DUI fatalities actually went down in Virginia in 2015, but hundreds still lost their lives.
“241 people died in 2015 in the state of Virginia, 241 people is 241 too many. Until we get that number down to zero, we still have a lot of work to do,” Konschak said.
Chesterfield County sent out a warning to drivers months ago after seeing a huge uptick in DUI arrests. In September, there were 102 arrests compared to 69 the year before.
“We all have a role in stopping drunk driving, certainly the most important person is the person that’s drinking and they need to plan ahead.” –Chris Konschak with MADD
8News looked at the most recent numbers, and in the past month, Chesterfield has had 109 DUI arrests compared to 105 the same time period last year. Konschak says it’s not just up to drivers.
“People who are around them that aren’t drinking or are in a position to make a decision should also step in and say ‘hey you don’t need to get behind the wheel of a car,'” Konschak said.
Meanwhile, Chesterfield Police say there’s no rhyme or reason for the number of DUI arrests as they aren’t doing anything differently. Police say they’ll continue their already aggressive approach to stop drunk drivers in their tracks.
Chesterfield is one of 60 localities that receive a grant from the DMV to help them target drunk drivers.
