A teenage driver was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving Sept. 17 after crashing into a tree and then two vehicles, including one occupied by a family with young children, according to police.
The accident occurred about 11 a.m. on Butterfield Boulevard near Digital Drive, reads a post on the Morgan Hill Police Department’s Facebook page. Authorities did not release any information about the juvenile driver, other than he or she registered more than twice the legal blood alcohol content of .08 allowed for an adult driver.
“Fortunately this collision did not result in any major injuries but it was 100 percent preventable,” reads the MHPD’s post.
Police posted a narrative of the accident, with photos of the impaired teen’s wrecked Ford Mustang, in order to alert and remind residents of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the post explains.
The teen was traveling northbound on Butterfield when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which left the roadway and hit a tree in the center divide, police said. The tree was ripped from the stump and lodged in the front of the teen’s Mustang, according to police. The vehicle continued moving into the southbound lane and struck the other two vehicles. One of these vehicles was carrying a family with two children.
“This post is not meant to create a forum of judgment, it is to encourage you to talk to your children about the dangers of driving after drinking alcohol,” the post continues.
A DUI offense for a driver younger than 21 can result in a minimum one-year driver license suspension, mandatory alcohol education classes and fines, according to authorities. State law has zero tolerance for a minor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
For more information on underage DUI, distracted driving and teen driving, MHPD suggests two websites: the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (nhtsa.gov/impaired) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (madd.org).
