Every 30 minutes, nearly 50 people a day and almost 18,000 a year, a citizen is killed because of impaired driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Driving under the influence (DUI) is defined as a person operating or driving a motor vehicle, aircraft or watercraft while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, intoxicating liquor, inhalant or any controlled substance, singally or in combination, said Steve Goetz, officer in charge of investigations at the UAF Police Department. According to Lieutenant Syrilyn Tong of the UAFPD, there were 24 UAF DUI arrests in 2006 and 14 so far this year.

A person is DUI when their blood alcohol level is .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle and .04 percent or greater if operating a commercial motor vehicle. However, even if a subject tests lower than .08 percent while driving a non-commercial vehicle, he or she can still be placed under arrest and charged with DUI if signs of intoxication are visible.

Neither a person’s right to speak with an attorney, nor their right to remain silent, gives them the right to refuse to submit to a chemical test. Refusal to submit a chemical test will still result a DUI charge and the revocation of one’s driver’s license or nonresident privilege to drive, even if a subject is found not guilty of driving under the influence. Once a subject is arrested, there is a 15-minute waiting period before submitting a breath sample. In the 15 minutes of observation, the arrestee may not belch, vomit, cough or even clear their throat. If the subject does any of the bodily functions listed, then the 15-minute observation period will be restarted. If the waiting period had to be terminated three times for failure to comply with the rules, the subject will be charged with refusal to submit to a chemical test. Aside from dealing with the police, the university’s involvement in student activities is not only limited to incidents occurring on campus. If a student receives a DUI off-campus, he or she is in violation of the University of Alaska student code of conduct. “I wait to see what shows up in the newspaper,” said Don Foley, associate vice chancellor for student life and judicial services. “We have the ability to look at crimes or issues that may impact the university campus that happens off-campus, but are impactful to the campus.” All incidents that require disciplinary action are placed in the student’s judicial record. More companies now are asking students to sign a wavier that allow employers to view a student’s disciplinary records, Foley said. “Employers now are looking at it as sort of another way to filter out to the very best candidates for positions.” Students do have the right to view their own judiciary record.

The average cost of a first DUI offense amounts to $22,740; this cost includes court fines, attorney fees, higher insurance premiums, sentencing, vehicle impound fees and much more, according to the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles. The cost of a first-time DUI is about equal to an 11,370-mile taxi ride. That is nearly halfway around the world.