York News-Times Press Release
By R.J. Post
One York area man should have phoned a friend on Saturday night.
Instead, he got behind the wheel of a car and wound up in the York County Jail. It could have been a lot worse.
“We were just fortunate,” Sheriff Paul Vrbka said on Monday. The driver could have easily hurt himself or others. “I’m just glad that we had calls from the public.”
Law enforcement received a call from an off-duty deputy from another county at 6:02 p.m. Saturday that someone was driving recklessly on Interstate 80. A York County deputy pulled the motorist over at 6:30 p.m., Vrbka said.
“Our deputy got behind the vehicle and observed the driver to be all over the road to include almost taking out the York exit sign,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Multiple signs of impairment were observed throughout the traffic stop, and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence.”
Vrbka said the driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.256%. The legal limit in Nebraska is 0.08%.
“This individual consumed a lot of alcohol to test that high,” Vrbka said.
The incident could have easily led to an accident, the sheriff said, even a fatality.
Asked whether December is a particularly bad month for driving under the influence, Vrbka said, “We’ve had some that were bad and some that weren’t.”
Statistics from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety show that December is often, but not always, one of the leading months for alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska. In 2017, December was the single worst month in the state for alcohol-related crashes, with 161.
Nebraska also had 161 alcohol-related crashes in 2016, finishing second to August with 167.
The state had 6,323 DUIs in 2023, according to the Office of Highway Safety.
New Year’s Eve is often associated with an overindulgence in alcohol, but it doesn’t have to end in an accident or DUI arrest. Vrbka’s first advice is to have a designated driver.
“Or at least call somebody,” he said. Call a friend to pick you up if you’ve been drinking.
Have something to eat after a long night of celebrating, or “just stay put,” Vrbka said.
“Time and food help that situation,” he said.
If you see someone on the road who looks like they’ve had too much to drink, call 911.
“We highly encourage anyone and everyone to call in any suspicious behavior or erratic driver behavior,” the Sheriff’s Office said in its Facebook post. “Your call can save lives.”
