Help! Too Much Data!

So what do you do with this information? To answer that, let’s look at the entire DWI process. We can begin almost anywhere, because it is more a cycle than a one-way journey. Someone drinks and then gets on the road (even walking!). If they then made it to their next destination every single time, DWI would not be a problem. But they don’t. They cause death, injury, and damage. How much? For DWI to be addressed by the members of a community (city, county state) the importance of identifying and quantifying this information must be recognized.

How many people were killed and maimed in your area?

• How many drinking drivers were arrested before they killed someone this time?
• Is this the first time they have been arrested?
• When arrested, does the driver take or refuse the BAC test?
• What is the BAC result?
• When the person cited has a court date do they show up?
• Is the officer there?
• Is there a hearing or is there some reason for a continuance?
• Are previous citations known about and documented?
• Is the case handled according to the applicable laws?
• If convicted, is the offender sent to screening and/or a first time offender program?
• How many times has he or she been sent to the first offender program for previous arrests?

The driving force behind looking in the information provided should be questions. If the answers are not already there, then perhaps they can be added as needed. But the answers can be just a bunch of numbers. How do we decipher them?

First, look at the date of the particular bit of information. We have and will always strive to have the most current data available, but you need to know what the year and source are. Is the number a count or a rate? Each has value. If 10 people are killed, it doesn’t matter to their families that the fatality rate was .00273 per hundred million vehicle miles. On the other hand, if there is a reduction of one fatality in Bernalillo County that is far less of a change than the same reduction in Catron or Harding counties. Rates and percents can be compared among cities, counties or states, it is not appropriate to compare counts.

If you are looking at a rate, note what it is based on. It might be miles driven or population. When comparing rates be sure they are the same type. Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for help! Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.