44°
During the 20-day, high-visibility campaign, law enforcement officials nationwide will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of driving drunk, coupled with checkpoints and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce the toll of drunk driving.
In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed in drunk–driving crashes, almost a third of all traffic fatalities. Thirty-eight percent of crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend that year involved drunk drivers (with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 or higher), amounting to 161 deaths. More than a quarter (27 percent) of the crash fatalities that occurred on Labor Day weekend involved drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of .15 or higher—almost twice the illegal limit.
“Too many people think their actions don’t affect anybody else,” said Yorktown Police Lieutenant Robert Noble. “They know it’s illegal. They know it’s wrong. But they do it anyway – they make decisions as if those statistics just can’t happen to them.”
During the enforcement period starting Friday, there will be a special emphasis on drunk-driving enforcement. Local drivers should expect to see more patrol vehicles, DUI checkpoints and increased messaging about the preventable crime.
Drivers are reminded to plan ahead: designate a sober driver, call a cab or spend the night where you are drinking. The new SaferRide mobile app, free from the iTunes store and Google Play, can help users call a taxi or a friend for a ride home.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Yorktown and receive free news updates.
