NEWBURGH – When you drive onto the Thruway at Suffern exit 15 at New Jersey I-287 south and exit 17 at Newburgh, from now through New Year’s Eve, you will receive a red ribbon at selected toll facilities to promote awareness about driving drunk.
The Thruway Authority, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the State Police Troop T are participating in the 29th Annual Red Ribbon Campaign.
For Ingrid Wood of Ulster Park, a member of MADD, a drunk driver changed her life forever. In March 2013, her 18-year-old son Derek was walking along Salem Street in Port Ewen when a driver with three times the legal blood alcohol limit, missed a curve striking and killing him.
The motorist, Paul Degraff, Jr., now 46, of Port Ewen was sentenced to 4 ½ to 13 ½ years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.
If Ms. Wood had her way, she would implement much more severe penalties.
“What sentence would I like to see, at least 20 years for killing somebody just because they say, on purpose, is manslaughter, but he did drive himself to the bar, proceeding to drink for 5 ½ hours,” Wood said. “So, to me, you know you are going to be at a bar at a dart tournament for five hours drinking. It’s almost like a premeditation almost; it’s legally not, but in my eyes, it is.”
Red ribbons will also be handed out at exit 24, Albany; exit B3, New York Route 22-Mass Pike; exit 34A, Syracuse at I-481; exit 36, Watertown-Binghamton; exit 39 at Syracuse, I-690; exit 46 at Rochester-Corning; and exit 55 at Lackawanna.
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