Cranston woman charged with DUI after wrong-way stop on Route 95

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Cranston woman has been charged with driving under the influence after being stopped driving the wrong way on Route 95 over the weekend, according to Rhode Island State Police.

Amanda Pizzi, 29, of 64 Hillwood St. in Cranston, was arrested following the stop at approximately 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

According to state police, a trooper traveling southbound on Route 95 in the vicinity of exit 16 in Cranston came upon a vehicle heading north in the southbound lanes. Once the vehicle was stopped in the breakdown lane, state police report that the trooper made contact with the operator and “observed various indicators consistent with alcohol intoxication.”

Pizzi failed field sobriety tests, according to state police, and a breath test administered at the Lincoln Woods Barracks resulted in blood alcohol content readings of .169 percent and .173 percent. The legal limit is .08 percent.

“The trooper that stopped this operator in all probability prevented a serious crash and the resulting serious bodily injury or loss of life,” reads the state police press release regarding the arrest. “A 2012 report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates about 82 percent of such wrong-way events involve front-to-front collisions, typically with one or both vehicles traveling at highway speed. A study in Michigan found that 22 percent of wrong-way collisions were fatal, compared to 0.3 percent for all highway accidents in the same time frame.”

“This arrest is another example of our troopers’ commitment to reducing fatalities on our highways. Without this intervention, we would probably be announcing a much different and tragic story,” State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell states in the release.

State police additionally reminded motorists that dangerous drivers or hazardous roadway conditions can be reported by calling 911 or dialing *77 on their cell phone.

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