Albany Medical Center Joins Law Enforcement, First Responders, for Conference on Impaired Driving

Albany Medical Center, in conjunction with the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), hosted a press conference August 17 to highlight the dangers of impaired driving and the far-reaching impacts on those involved.

Joined by local and state fire and police officials, along with the representatives of the GTSC, Kurt Edwards, MD, FACS, chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, spoke about the impacts of impaired driving on not only the driver but also passengers, loved ones and innocent pedestrians.

“I was asked to provide some personal stories that I have about the impacts of impaired driving,” Dr. Edwards said. “I couldn’t think of only one, because it happens so much. Every single day that I come into work, there’s a person in our hospital, on our floor, or possibly in our ICU, that is the victim of a motor vehicle crash involving alcohol or another substance.”

The reminder came days before the start of a STOP-DWI “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign taking place August 20 through September 6 throughout New York. Local and state police will be increasing patrols to crack down on impaired drivers.

The message from the speakers – having a plan is key to keeping yourself and others safe and to avoiding making a bad decision.

“I can say that in almost every single situation, there is no reason that an impaired driver needs to get behind the wheel and take that reckless act,” Dr. Edwards said.