This prom season, Rensselaer County officials are warning of the dangers of impaired driving.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly says her office and the county Sheriff’s Office will be distributing signs raising awareness about drugged driving at schools across the county.
The Democrat says the campaign is especially needed this year due to New York’s legalization of recreational marijuana in 2021:
“I had a concern from day one that this was going to have an effect on roadway safety and I’m going to say that I believe our roads in Rensselaer County and beyond are less safe than they were a year ago.”
The DA and the sheriff’s office could not provide WAMC with any data showing an increase of drugged driving among teens, saying their evidence is only anecdotal.
Sheriff Pat Russo says peer pressure around prom and graduation ceremonies leads to more underage drinking and risky behavior.
“That two-minute decision to get behind a wheel of a car [can] cause them their life or somebody else their life and follow them throughout their life.”
