From driving under the influence to driving under and with influence.

A Westminster councilman, Andy Quach earned the ire of many of his residents when he lost control of his car, hit another vehicle with three occupants and slammed into a power pole which knocked out the power of more than 300 homes in his city.

The car Quach struck suffered minor damage but the three occupants were fortunately not injured. The police arrested Quach on suspicion of driving under the influence and while he did not submit to a breath test, he took a blood test.

Quach had previous traffic citations: two were dismissed and one he had to pay a fine of $25 for being found guilty of traveling at an unsafe speed for prevailing conditions.

The beleaguered councilor said that he will take full responsibility for the crash and that he was glad no one got hurt (although he did say that he got injured but didn’t elaborate). He explained that he came from dinner with friends and “nodded off.”

Regardless of the fact whether Quach was driving drunk or was sleepy or fatigued while driving, impaired driving is the main reasons for motor vehicle accidents .

Impaired driving, whether it is due to the influence of drugs or alcohol and driver fatigue can cause driving skills to drop even as the driver’s reaction time and concentration on the road gets lowered.

This is often fatal especially since operating a vehicle requires due diligence and skill to avoid accidents that would injure himself and other people.

One of the disgruntled residents remarked that he was disappointed in Quach as he was supposedly a public figure and should set an example. Likewise, he added that “Everyone should be treated equally and held accountable for his actions.”
Mayor Margie Rice commented that Quach made a terrible mistake but that he’s and that they need to accept it and go on from there.

In California, DUI first time convicted offenders are sentenced to no less than 96 hours of jail time and imposes a maximum limit of 6 months with a fine of $390 – $1,000.

Quach, whose blood test results have yet to be released is merely facing a misdemeanor charged. Now that’s an example of the influence of driving drunk.