“In an effort to crackdown on
impaired driving incidents, our state troopers will join Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) and thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety
agencies throughout the state and nation this holiday period,” Department of
Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell said. “Drunk driving is one of
Over the 2009 Labor Day holiday,
nine people were killed in nine fatal crashes on
Nationwide in 2008, nearly 12,000 people died in highway crashes due to impaired driving. The picture for motorcycle riders is particularly bleak. Two years ago, 32 percent of motor vehicle fatalities were drivers or motorcycle riders with BACs of .08 or above. Additionally, in 2008, the percentage of drivers with a BAC of .08 or above was highest for motorcycle riders with 29 percent.
“Our message is simple – zero tolerance. If you are over the limit, you are under arrest,” said THP Colonel Mike Walker. “Impaired driving is not a joke; people have been tragically killed as a result of someone else’s poor judgment. Our goal is to prevent that from happening by patrolling state roadways in full force and making no excuses or exceptions for those driving under the influence.”
The THP has established sobriety checkpoints in high volume and high crash corridors across the state to look for aggressive and impaired drivers as well as safety belt violators. Last year, state troopers issued 55 DUI, 14 reckless driving, two public drunkenness, and 21 open container citations during the Labor Day period.
While drunk driving is especially
common among young males, data shows that an increasing number of females are
being arrested and convicted for driving while impaired. In
The Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign began August 20 and will end September 6. For more information on the national crackdown, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.