The 2015 conviction rates for DWI was released by the Department of Motor Vehicles last week and Ontario County has ranked at the top of the list at 93.39 percent. This marks the 31st time over the last 32 years in which Ontario County has ranked at the top of the list.
The county racked up 424 DWI convictions and 96 convictions for driving while ability impaired by drugs. While Ontario county is only the 27th most populous in New York State, the number of convictions makes for the fourth highest total in the state.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for drunk driving in Ontario County for one reason only – it makes the highways safe for all of us,” District Attorney R. Michael Tantillo remarked. “Our conviction rate means that more drunk drivers are being identified, prosecuted and dealt with appropriately by the courts.”
In second place was Yates County with a 79.73 percent conviction rate with Seneca County ranking third at 79.59. Broome County came in fourth on the list with a 76.57 percent rate. The Finger Lakes region has four of the five counties in the top five which indicates “Good law enforcement training, enforcement and prosecution,” according to Ron Spike, the Yates County STOP-DWI coordinator.
The yearly stats reflect date of convictions as reported to the DMV within each calendar year by local courts and do not correlate to all arrests made in a given calendar year.
