http://www.katu.com/news/4897256.html

This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon State Police

A Seal Rock-area man was arrested twice by an Oregon State Police trooper in a six-hour span Sunday following two separate alcohol-related crashes in the Newport area.

In both cases the man was transported to a local hospital for treatment, but following the second incident he was lodged in jail on multiple charges.

On December 10, 2006, OSP Trooper Lee Smith responded to two separate minor injury traffic crashes in the Newport area involving the same driver identified as Wayne Albert Davenport, age 70, from Seal Rock.

At approximately 5:50 p.m., Trooper Smith investigated a single vehicle crash on Highway 20 about three miles east of Newport.

Preliminary investigation indicated that a 1993 Dodge Dakota driven by Davenport was westbound on Highway 20 near milepost 3 when it lost control and crossed into the oncoming lane, crashing into a guardrail.

The Dodge continued along the guardrail about 200 feet for stopping. Davenport was transported by ambulance to Pacific Communities Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

No other vehicles were involved.

Follow-up investigation by Trooper Smith at the hospital resulted in Davenport being cited for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Careless Driving, and Driving While Suspended.

At approximately 11:38 p.m. the same evening, Trooper Smith responded to a report of another crash on Highway 101 north of Newport near milepost 136 about ten miles from the first crash.

Investigation indicated Mr. Davenport was driving a 1986 Jaguar XJ6 southbound on Highway 101 near milepost 136 when he slowly drifted into the northbound lane at a slow speed collided with the front of a dump truck.

The dump truck's driver, Dennis Surmon, age 60, from Eugene, saw the oncoming car and was able to stop on the northbound shoulder before the dump truck was struck by the car. Surmon was not injured.

Davenport was again transported to Pacific Communities Hospital with minor injuries following the second accident.

Follow up investigation at the hospital by Trooper Smith revealed Davenport was picked up by a friend after treatment related to the first crash and taken home.

Davenport reportedly stated he wanted to drive again after the first accident and he did so. Upon being released from the hospital for the second time, Trooper Smith arrested Davenport for DUII and Reckless Driving, and cited him again for Driving While Suspended.

Davenport was then lodged at the Lincoln County Jail.

 

There needs to be a better way to monitor people with suspended licenses, especially with drunk driving charges.

Some people go to court, get their license suspended, but guess what: they drive back home anyways as if nothing happened in court...

 

Best invention would be to have a breathalizer (sp?) installed from factory that you would have to breathe into in order to start the car. I know i wouldnt mind the extra second or so inorder to start my car.

 

Yeah, but that's just for drunk drivers. It'll help, but it'll cause so much pain to the masses.

People with suspended licenses shouldn't be able to drive at all (except for emergencies, and maybe work if public transportation is unavailable). I think people need to swallow tough medicine such as revoked licenses and the such because of their ignorance of the law...

 

There's been talk about that by various groups but I'm against it. It would be like the seatbelt/ignition interface that was put in place in the '70s. So many people bypassed it they finally dropped the requirement after a few years. It always sounds like a good idea but there's a limit on what people will accept in limiting their freedom of choice.

There is consideration on adding that breathalizer to the cars of people arrested for drunk driving and that would help but it would still required monitoring to ensure they didn't bypass it and that it can be removed after a period of time.

 

Or you could have a driver's license (like on The Fifth Element) that must be read by the car before it starts. Cops could immediately encode relevant information every time you're ticketed.

Of course they'd be able to be hacked/counterfeited, but it would be another layer of safety. Since you have to carry a license to drive anyway, forcing the car to read a valid license before starting wouldn't be an inconvenience for the majority of drivers.

 

Creative! A proximity card like the Lexus key. You could always have somebody else start the car but no system would be fool proof. As it is now, anybody can drive a car with or without a license.

 

And there are so many things you could do with that card. Restrict young drivers speed and hours of operation. Limit acceleration to thwart the street racers. Etc, etc, etc...

Sure not foolproof, and would require a secondary interlock, like a PIN or thumbprint, but certainly could be used to enhance public safety.

 

That is actually one of the most sensible things that I've heard.

Perhaps this type of technology will be useful in the future. Perhaps if it becomes mandate, tampering with such a device will add further penalties to those who try to do otherwise...

 

I see the ACLU all over that one like flies on...well you know

 

I could of swore that this is already in plae in some states for people that has 2 or 3 strikes on them for DWI. I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure this is going on. Its not factory but still would work if true.

 

Such a law is already on the books in Texas. The second conviction on DUI charges allows the judge to have a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) installed on an individual's car as a condition of his sentence. The trouble is that very few judges exercise this option. Only a tiny percent of DUI convictions are required to have a BAIID.

Underage drinkers who test with ANY level of alcohol in their bloodstream may have a BAIID attached to their car - on the FIRST offense.

Why are these are options and not mandatory?

Maybe because we elect our judges in Texas?

 

The authorities absolutely should've kept this guy in jail once released from the hospital, at least until he sobered up. There is absolutely no excuse for letting a guy who just racked up a bunch of DUI charged, wrecked a car on the wrong side of a freeway should be let back out on the streets, even on a bicycle.

 

It's ashame the dump truck driver pulled over versus just running over this Davenport *******. The world would be a better place with out Mr. Davenport.

 

The obvious question is why he wasn't jailed the first time, drunk or not? Driving on a suspended license is a SERIOUS offense....and it has to be treated like one. I'm continually amazed at not only the number of people who do it but the careless attitude that is often taken in dealing with it.
That careless attitude has got to stop.