Increased enforcement with ‘Drive Sober’

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a national campaign created to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools including posters, banners and mobile video display signs.

But if the celebration includes drinking and driving, be forewarned, police will be cracking down on drunk drivers through the Labor Day weekend as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2015 statewide campaign. Almost two-thirds of the people killed in impaired-driving crashes are the drunk drivers themselves. And 38 percent of crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend involved drunk drivers, amounting to 161 lives lost.

If you are feeling buzzed, you likely are over the 0.08 BAC limit and should not drive. Gregory wants to remind drivers that it is not a recommendation, it is the law. The location of Friday’s publicity event, Bud’s Harley-Davidson, was chosen specifically because the number of motorcyclists who are killed in DUI crashes are disproportionate to the number of total bikes compared to cars and trucks, Robinson said. Northwest Arkansas drivers should expect to see more patrols, according to a news release from the Rogers Police Department.

The stepped-up Labor Day effort comes as NHTSA seeks to keep motor vehicle fatalities as low as possible through what can be a very risky holiday on the roads. Also through the app, for those who want to imbibe but also make it a point to plan ahead, users can easily order a sober ride from Uber, Lyft or Curb – all from one screen.

If you choose to drink and drive in Madisonville, Ky. – beware.

“Get the drunk drivers off the road so everybody can get where they need to go”, Spellins said.

In an analysis of drunk driving statistics for month of August between 2009 and 2013, almost 8 percent of those arrested had already been convicted of at least one drunk driving offense.