According to the Detroit Free Press, former Miss USA Rima Fakih has been sentenced for her drunk driving arrest. The sentence included six months probation, 20 hours of community service and $600 in fines.

26-years-old Fakih will also be required to attend alcohol safety and victim impact classes.

Fakih was arrested last December after a cop saw her speeding her 2011 Jaguar XJR and changing lanes without signaling. She pleaded no contest to her Michigan DUI charge last month.

According to reporters, Fakih should consider herself lucky. The sentence could have been a lot worse. Former NBA player Jalen Rose, who was also charged with DUI in Michigan, was originally given a 92 days prison sentence, but his judge later suspended a chunk of his sentence. He spent 20 days in jail for his DUI conviction.

The Detroit Free Press also reported that Rose’s blood alcohol level was reported at 0.12 percent, whereas Fakih’s blood alcohol initially tested at 0.19 percent, which is a lot higher than Rose’s. The legal limit for drunk driving in Michigan is 0.08 percent.

Fakih will be serving her probation in Detroit. She had originally intended to serve her probation in California.

In a statement given to the press, Fakih stated that the incident has numbed her. She also said that she had never intended to put anyone in danger.

Fakih claims she doesn’t have a drinking problem. She will be speaking to high school teens about the dangers of driving under the influence.

The former Miss USA is also set to appear on the Fox dating show “The Choice” in June.

According to a study conducted by the researchers from the University of Leeds reveals that eating while driving is riskier than using a phone or driving under the influence of alcohol.

Another study carried out by the NHSTA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) revealed that those who eat and drive increase the odds of an accident by 80%. The NHSTA also concluded that 65% of near miss accidents are caused by distracted drivers fussing with food and drinks.

The study carried out by the researchers at the University of Leeds observed the scenario “Two Hands Better than Once” on test subjects operating driving simulators.

The simulations were carried out to note driving experiences, increased reaction times while eating and driving and drinking non alcoholic beverages while driving. The results came out to be very surprising and showed that eating while driving increased reaction time by 44 percent, texting while driving increased reaction time by 37 percent whereas drinking while driving increased reaction time by 22 percent. The simulation also revealed that 18 percent drivers are likely to wander between lanes while eating or drinking while driving.

Another surprising conclusion from the simulation revealed that driving while intoxicated had the lowest increase in reaction time, recorded at 12.5 percent. However, this low rate of drunk driving does not mean driving under the influence is safe.

The main objective of the study was to emphasize the relative risk of other distractions, apart from drunk driving. A lot of effort is made to inform the public about the dangers of drunk driving, but little education or awareness is given on hazards like eating while driving or texting while driving.

These driving distractions cause thousands of deaths every year. The majority of distracted driving accidents caused due to eating while driving occur in the morning hours. Becoming aware of the dangers is the first step in learning safer driving habits, and these habits can be easily learnt by anyone.

Distracted driving is a serious problem and one that needs more awareness campaigns. However, no word is out yet on whether Mothers Against Drunk Driving will now open an auxiliary unit focusing on the ill effects of fast food drive-in lines and convenience stores.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has labeled distracted driving an “epidemic.”

No matter the kind of distraction, your best bet is not to do it. That is the only way to be safe and stay in control.

Matthew Fox, the man who saved the island on “Lost” was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The arrest reportedly occurred early Friday morning in Bend, Oregon, where Fox lives with his wife and two children. He was accompanied with an unidentified passenger and were on their way for some fast food, but wound up in jail shortly afterwards.

Fox reportedly spent less than an hour in custody before he was released. However, he will have to return to the Deschutes County Jail to have his mug shot taken as the camera was broken when he was brought in.

According to a press release issued by the Bend Police Department, Fox’s car was stopped at the intersection of NW 14th St. and NW Jacksonville Ave., at 2:27 a.m. after failing to drive within its lane and use an appropriate signal. During the traffic stop, an officer determined that Fox was “under the influence of intoxicants” and he was subsequently detained at the Deschutes County Adult Jail.

The case has been forwarded to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office. A representative of that office said via phone that a police report would not be shared until after the case was closed.

Further details regarding the incident were not released and it is also not clear if the incident will result in additional penalties other than a slap on the wrist. However, hopefully the incident changes the actor’s behavior.

Fox was also involved in another dispute last August with a Cleveland party-bus driver who accused him of punching her in her crotch, breast, arm and legs when she refused to give him a ride. No criminal charges were ever brought against Fox as a result of that incident. The driver, Heather Boremann, claimed that Fox was drunk and sued him for assault, battery and emotional distress. He countersued, accusing her of costing him work and opening him up to “public hatred, contempt, ridicule and shame.”

The actor became popular as Dr. Jack Shephard for his role in the TV Series ‘Lost’. He recently finished shooting two films, “Alex Cross” and Brad Pitt’s “World War Z.” He also stars opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the film “Emperor,” which is expected to be released in 2013.

By the way, during filming of “Lost,” Fox’s fellow cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Watros and Daniel Dae Kim were all arrested for DUI.

Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernandez of West Covina has been charged with drunken driving stemming from his March arrest in Concord, Calif., officials said Tuesday.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed drunken driving charges against him on Monday including two misdemeanor charges. Both charges stem from the same incident which happened on March 27 at 2 a.m. when Hernandez was allegedly driving under the influence.

Hernandez was accompanied by a 29-year-old woman when he was stopped by officers in the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel about 2 a.m. on a weekday. The Toyota Camry he was driving, an Assembly vehicle, had been spotted weaving inside a lane on Concord Avenue, officers said. He refused to submit to a breathalyzer test at the scene but his blood test was recorded at 0.08% an hour after he was taken into custody, which is the allowed legal limit for anyone to be charged with drunk driving. Despite all this, the first-term legislator denied that his car had been weaving or that he was impaired at the time.

His lab results were released last week after which he apologized for his actions and said the findings serve as a “huge wake-up call for me.” However, Hernandez could not be reached immediately for comment after the charges against him were filed. He is scheduled to appear in court May 21 for arraignment, said Bobbi Spinola, an assistant to the district attorney.

“I may have made a poor judgment thinking that I was sober enough to drive after a couple of drinks over the course of an evening. Had I thought I was mentally or physically impaired to drive, I would not have gone behind the wheel of a car. I offer my sincerest apologies to the constituents that I serve in the 57th Assembly District, to my family, colleagues, and staff for any embarrassment I may have caused,’’ he said.

Hernandez has voluntarily relinquished his right to drive an Assembly pool car until the matter is resolved.

23-year-old Leeslyee Huerta was the guest of honor at Metea Valley High School’s prom on Friday after students at the Aurora school were moved by a presentation from her and the drunken driver who left her paralyzed.

Huerta spent all day preparing for a night she thought she’d never see: her high school senior prom. She had given up her dream long ago, until she met the drunken driver who put her in a wheelchair.

Huerta waited inside her Bolingbrook home Friday, her brown hair pulled back in a cascade of curls and her nails painted in a subtle, sheer pink. She wore a sparkling pink tulle dress and a makeup artist helped complete her look. She was the guest of honor at Metea Valley High School’s senior prom.

“It’s like a dream,” Huerta said. “It makes me feel like it’s my own.”

27-year-old Nick Chodzko and Huerta recently met at Huerta’s request and appeared before a crowd of Metea seniors last week who were captivated by their friendship. Their first meeting was arranged by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists where they became friends after she realized the depth of his regret for causing the accident that left her paralyzed. She said that Chodzko borrowed money to buy her a specially equipped van to get around, even as his criminal case was pending.

Huerta was 18 years old when the accident took place. She was in her last semester of high school before she became paralyzed due to the accident.

Chodzko, who was then 21, had been drinking at a party and drove the wrong way on the Stevenson Expressway near Harlem Avenue when he slammed head-on into a van driven by Huerta’s aunt. Huerta was asleep and buckled into a back seat and suffered several injuries as a result of the crash. She woke in a hospital more than a week later when she learnt that her back was broken and she likely wouldn’t walk again.

For years, Huerta wrestled with the “hate” she felt toward Chodzko, even as he tried to make amends by borrowing money to buy her a specially equipped van. She fell into a deep depression and, at one time, contemplated cutting her wrists.

“I was focusing so much on my hate, I was losing my life,” she said.

The burden began to ease when Huerta learned she was pregnant in 2009 – unexpected but welcomed news that gave her hope.

Ultimately, Huerta felt she should meet Chodzko in order to move forward, and they connected last month with help from Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.

After their three-hour talk, Huerta let go of her anger.

“You hear about drunk drivers who don’t care at all about their victims. But I heard how his life had changed, I could tell he was genuinely sorry, and it made me feel so relieved,” she said. “A few years ago I gave an interview with a Spanish language TV station, and they asked if I would ever stop hating him. I said ‘No.’ Now look where I am.”

“He said, ‘I’m very sorry, and I don’t expect you to forgive me because I don’t deserve that,’” she recalled. “He didn’t read it from a piece of paper, so I knew it came from his heart.”

Chodzko, who deeply understands the dangers of drinking and driving, is in his second year of giving speeches about the dangers of drunk driving. This is what brought him to Metea last week. However, this was his first time speaking in tandem with Huerta, and the Metea seniors were extremely moved by their story.

After their speech, Assistant Principal Joy Ross said she knew that she and the students had to invite Huerta and her boyfriend, Jonathan Santos, to prom.

“We didn’t even know if she was going to say yes, but she’s been absolutely delightful,” Ross said.

Ross also helped Huerta at her home to get ready for the dance that was themed “Midnight in Paris.”

Metea not only provided Huerta’s makeover and dress, but they also organized flowers, a tux, limo and dinner, all donated by local businesses and students. Her corsage was a mix of white flowers and silver ribbon, all attached to a bracelet of glittering beads.

For Huerta, the moment was so far removed from the dark feelings she had experienced for years.

“Back then I never could have imagined something like this. I kept wanting something good to happen and thought it would never come,” she said.

Miami – Sister of a South Florida teen, who was killed by a man charged with DUI, has turned to Facebook to rally support and keep him in jail.

The sister and her mother said “they wanted to raise awareness about drunk driving” and a teen who “meant the world” to their family.

16-year-old Bree Ann Canacho has posted a video on her Facebook page where she talks about the accident that killed her sister Kaely Camacho who was just 13 years old.

“A guy by the name of Sandor Guillen, who was drunk driving, and he was speeding in the bus lane t-boned us and literally broke our car in half,” Camacho said in the video.

Guillen is accused of DUI manslaughter after Guillen slammed his Land Rover into a minivan which was being driven by Camacho’s father at U.S.1 and SW 184th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade on Friday, April 13th.

Angie Camacho, mother of the victim spoke for the first time since the accident. “She meant the world to us. She was such a kind girl, she loved cheerleading and dancing and just loved life,” she said.

I just wanted to thank the community, our friends and family for all the support that they’ve shown us. We miss Kaely very much,” Camacho told D’Oench.

According to police reports, Guillen was driving at a speed of 100 mph on the Miami-Dade busway. After the accident, Guillen tried to run from the scene, but he was caught a couple of blocks away. During the investigation, Guillen admitted to have been “drinking hard liquor” before the crash.

Guillen was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of the accident causing serious bodily injury and also resulted in death of an innocent girl as well as driving without a driver’s license resulting in death. His bond was set at one million dollars.

Guillen is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday where a judge will decide if the bond amount should be lowered. However, the Camacho family doesn’t want Guillen to be released from jail by lowering the bail bond as they think he may try to leave the country and not pay for his actions.

16-year-old Bree Ann also asks those who have offered sympathy to her family to be at the courthouse on Tuesday in a show of support.

“We can save lives, this isn’t supposed to happen, we need to stop drunk driving and we can start here. This guy needs to get what he deserves,” said Camacho on the video.

The victim’s mother also expressed her feelings by saying, “I hope this brings awareness, to the affects that our family has been put through, because of a drunk driver. We want to keep him behind bars and we’re asking for everyone to join us and support us at the justice building on this Tuesday, April 24th. We want to keep this guy behind bars. I just hope it can save other lives. I want to bring awareness to how wrong drunk driving is.”

An online petition has also been started by Bree Ann which people can sign to support no reduction in Guillen’s bond amount.

Bree Ann feels that there was a purpose behind her surviving the crash. “I survived the crash to be an advocate against drunk driving,” she said.

Her mother also appreciated the efforts her daughter was taking against drunk driving. “I think it’s great, what she did posting the video on Facebook. I hope she touches a lot of lives if she gets her message across.”

According to Judge Samantha Ruiz-Cohen, if Guilen is released on bond, there will be some rigorous restrictions.

“You are on total lockdown,” Judge Samantha Ruiz-Cohen said during last week’s initial bond hearing. “You are not to leave your house. Do you understand this?”

“Yes,” Guillen answered

Guillen will also not be allowed to drive, drink, and must surrender his passport if he makes bail.

39-year-old Michael Giacona of Texas, who has been released from prison for killing a man in a drunk driving accident, will wear a sign made by the victim’s mother that says ‘I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell while driving drunk.’

Giacona, who was serving his 90-day prison sentence will be serving a two year probation after release. The probation includes the decision for Giacona to sport the sign. The decision was made by Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Michael R. Fields.

He will be wearing the handmade sign at the exact scene of the accident that claimed the life of 20-year-old Pennywell. As part of the probation, he will be wearing the sign on four consecutive Saturdays and will be watched by the victim’s distraught mother on the first Saturday.

Apart from wearing the sign, Giacona will also be required to wear an ankle-monitoring device during the time of his probation and will have to keep a framed photograph of the victim in his home. His unusual punishment starts this Saturday, which marks the first day Giacona will have to wear the sign from 9am to 5pm at the scene of the crime.

The deadly crash took place on June 25, 2011 when Giacona’s van crashed into a Mustang driven by 20-year-old Aaron at the intersection of Huffmeister and Spring Cypress. Pennywell was thrown from his car and died at the scene of the accident. After the deadly crash, Giacona spent 90 days in prison.

During his hearing, the judge said, “Mr. Giacona, I have considered what the witnesses had to say. I have looked at the state’s exhibits, and quite frankly, I am concerned about you and this decision to place you on shock probation. You make me nervous, and the reason you make me nervous is I believe what the witnesses said about your behavior that evening: That you were, even after killing someone, still looking to get more alcohol. This is not your first DWI.”

The victims mother, Kaye Pennywell, wholeheartedly agreed with the special conditions of his probation. She said she will come out over the weekend to see if Giacona actually follows the judge’s orders. The last year has been the most difficult year of her life. She fought back tears when asked what was the worst aspect of her sons death.

“It is not seeing his smiling face… his brother…  not being there for his brother.”

Pam Lewandowski, a friend of the Pennywells also shared her feelings after the sentence. “I loved it because that way he has to show more accountability for what he does and have to let other people know what drunk driving does,” she said.

June 3, 2004 was an extremely dreadful day for Mari Guerra Avila, who was hit by a drunk teenager who ran head on into Avila’s car.

At that time, Avila was seven months pregnant and the accident crushed and pinned her from head to toe. Due to the trauma, Avila had to deliver her baby, a little girl who was born in a vegetative state.

The baby girl named Monica Lynn was born blind, who was unable to control her body temperature and her skull was crushed. Over the next year and a half, baby Avila underwent 21 surgeries before she died.

Avila’s grief motivated her to become a strong advocate in fighting underage drinking. As a measure to avoid underage drunk driving, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are designating April 21 as a day when parents should talk to their teens about the dangers of underage drinking.

According to statistics, underage drinking kills almost 6,000 people each year. For Avila, underage drinking is a lot more than a statistic.

She now has three children who she hopes can be a good influence on their peers.

“We have kids over all the time and we talk about peer pressure and alcohol and drugs,” Avila said. “We cannot close our eyes or look the other way. It is happening. It is something that is a problem here in the Rio Grande Valley.”

MADD Youth Program Advisory Chair Azalia Reyes said, “The worst thing we can do is ignore that we have a problem.” That is why the Hidalgo County Commissioner’s Court has approved April 21 as ”Power Talk 21″ day; a day set aside for parents to help put an end to underage drinking.

According to a recent MADD survey, 74% of teenagers said that their parents are the leading influence when it comes to drinking, which is why it is important that parents spend time with their children to educate them about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Highland Park, Mich. – Former Miss USA, Rima Fakih, pleaded no contest in a Michigan drunk driving case, Wednesday.

The former beauty queen was arrested last year December 3 for drunk driving when she was driving a black 2011 Jaguar XJR at high speed in the area of 6 Mile and Woodward. She appeared in Michigan court on DUI charge several times after that and offered the plea to driving while visibly impaired when she appeared in court on Wednesday.

According to the law, a no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing. Fakih’s sentencing will take place on May 9 and she may face a maximum of 93 days in jail.

Fakih’s lawyer, W. Otis Culpepper, predicted that she would be sentenced to probation, which she could serve in California, where she is pursuing opportunities in the entertainment industry. Culpepper also said that Fakih will get back to California and get on with being a Hollywood kind of person.

“You learn, you pay your price for making mistakes and you move on. I’m very happy I can put this behind me,” Fakih, who was crowned Miss USA in 2010, said outside the court. She was the first Miss Michigan to win the title since 1993 and she was also the first Arab American winner ever.

26-year-old Fakih said that she wasn’t drinking the night of her arrest in December, but she was asked to submit to a breath test after being pulled over which revealed her blood alcohol level at 0.19, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

According to police reports, Fakih was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic before they pulled her over. The officers also found an open bottle of champagne behind the driver’s seat of the 2011 Jaguar.

Electrical engineering students Ashirbani Saha and Kaushik Ray of University of Windsor are a critical step forward toward marketing a new technology designed to combat drunk driving with the help of a Waterloo company.

The pair has developed an algorithm for a face recognition system that would work with a steering wheel sensor to detect a driver’s blood-alcohol level from the sweat produced by a driver’s hands. The research is being carried out with the help of Sober Steering, a company developing the technology.

Ray, a master’s student at University of Windsor says, “The facial recognition system has a database so the owner of the car can add certain people in the database and only those people will be able to drive the car.”

The face recognition system will not only prevent drunk driving, but it will also help with auto thefts as the car won’t start if the person is not authorized to drive it.

John Carroll, the chief technology officer at the Waterloo-based Sober Steering Incorporated, is very excited about implementing the system. He said that although the project is in the pre-prototype phase, the face recognition system has produced “excellent results.”

He also appreciated the efforts of the grad students and said, “They’re a very talented team that we worked with. In the end, they came up with a system that works very well.”

Although the Sober Steering project is still a long way from being available in vehicles, the Driver ID device would work in conjunction with technology that can be incorporated into steering wheels that would detect the level of alcohol in a driver’s blood. The technology involves the use of transdermal sensors that will be built into the steering wheel to detect the driver’s blood alcohol level when his hands are placed on the wheel by analyzing the gas coming from the palms. The idea is similar to that of a breathalyzer where the individual will not be allowed to drive the car if the level exceeded a pre-set limit.

The program is still in the pre-prototype stage and is being tested in two cars. Although the system has provided excellent results, one of the major hurdles is that alcohol sensors can be fooled. When the sensors are on the steering wheel, it can be likely that the person taking the sobriety test is different from the person actually driving.

However, Sober Steering is currently in the process of developing the technology with the goal that it will be made available for manufacturers so they can build it into their vehicles.

“This will help save people’s lives,” said Ray. “The person who drives drunk, not only is he risking his own life, but the lives of his passengers and other people on the road.”