‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ – Labor Day Weekend Crackdown

The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department is joining with law enforcement throughout the nation for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign Aug. 17 - Sept. 3. Law enforcement officers will step up enforcement of traffic safety laws looking for impaired drivers.

Public Information Officer Kristi Mitchell said officers will aggressively look for impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving impaired.

It is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter. Despite these laws, in 2010 more than 10,000 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was impaired.

“On average there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 51 minutes across America. But this tragic loss of life can be reduced if we get impaired drivers off our roadways,” said Officer Mitchell. During the Labor Day weekend in 2010, 147 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drivers or motorcycle riders with BACs of .08 or higher. Of those fatalities, 80 percent occurred from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.

Among 18- to 34-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the 2010 Labor Day weekend, 54 percent were alcohol-impaired.

For more information, visit the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign headquarters at nhtsa.gov/drivesober.

You can also visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department online at txkusa.org/arkpolice.

(Source:Kristi Mitchell/TAPD)