The end of summer is traditionally marked by the
Labor Day holiday, a time for our country to reflect on the hard work of our
fellow Americans. The long weekend is typically celebrated with picnics, pool
parties, and barbecues, as families/friends enjoy the last few days of summer
before fall/winter approach. Sadly, the Labor Day holiday is also one of the
deadliest, with drunk drivers endangering themselves and others on America’s
roadways. This year, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition are partnering with the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) to stop drunk drivers and help save lives. The
high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 16 - September 4,
2017. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for
drunk driving. Increased state and national messages about the dangers of
driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased officers on the road,
aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.
Statistics show a frightening
trend in drunk-driving. According to NHTSA, 10,265 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2015, an increase
from the 9,967 people killed in 2014. On average, 10,000 people were killed
each year from 2011 to 2015—one person killed every 51 minutes in 2015. That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo
jets crashing each year, with no survivors. This is why the
Sheriff’s Office and Coalition are working with NHTSA to remind drivers that
drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death. As you
head out to Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
Over the Labor Day holiday period
in 2015, there were 460 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty percent of those
fatal crashes involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). Of those
alcohol-related fatal crashes, one third (33%) involved drivers who were drunk
(.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (23%) involved drivers who were driving with
a BAC almost twice the illegal limit (.15+ BAC). Nighttime is the most
dangerous time to be out on the roads: During the 2015 Labor Day holiday
period, 78 percent of drunk-driving crash fatalities occurred between 6 p.m.
and 5:59 a.m. – as compared to half of all drunk-driving crash fatalities
throughout the rest of the year.
We’re stressing the dangers of driving
impaired to our community. Drunk driving is a massive problem in the United
States, with more than 10,000 people dying annually. If you’re out on the roads
and you see someone driving drunk, please call the Sheriff’s Office. You could
help save a life.
The Sheriff’s Office, SAFE Coalition, and
NHTSA are reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home
safely. Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior. It is essential to plan a
sober ride home before you ever leave for the party. That’s why, during the
Labor Day holiday, we will make zero exceptions for drunk driving. There are
just no excuses. The Sheriff’s Office and
Coalition recommend
safe alternatives to drinking and driving:
·
Remember that it is never okay to
drink and drive. Even if you’ve had one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober
driver to get you home safely.
·
Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile
app available on Google Play for Android devices: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en),
and Apple’s iTunes Store for IOS devices: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/saferride/id950774008?mt=8).
SaferRide allows users to call a predetermined friend and identifies the user’s
location so they can be picked up.
·
If you see a drunk driver on the
road, contact the Sheriff’s Office.
·
Have a friend who is about to
drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend
home safely.
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