DOT Kicks Off Nationwide Crackdown on Drunk Driving, Warns Public to 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' |
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NHTSA
August 14, 2012
NHTSA 31-12
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Contact: Karen Aldana, 202-366-9550
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today joined with local law enforcement officers, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the National Center for DWI Courts to mark the official start of its annual anti-drunk driving campaign: "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” The nationwide crackdown comes as startling new agency statistics show 70 percent of deaths in drunk driving crashes in 2010 involved drivers with blood alcohol levels that were nearly twice the .08 legal limit.
More than 10,000 police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country will support the campaign beginning August 17 and continuing through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
"Thanks to the dedication and hard work of law enforcement and safety partners like MADD, we've made significant progress in reducing roadway deaths in recent years,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "But drunk driving remains a serious, unacceptable threat to our families and our communities. Our campaign is clear – if you choose to drive drunk, you will be held accountable."
New NHTSA research indicates the 10,228 alcohol-impaired fatalities in 2010 accounted for nearly one out of three highway deaths on U.S. roads – the equivalent of one death every 51 minutes. During the same time period, more than two thirds of drunk driving deaths (7,145 or 70%) involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher. Overall, the most frequently recorded BAC among drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes was .18 BAC.
As part of its overall program to address drunk driving, NHTSA has also worked with the National Center for DWI Courts to help develop new ignition interlock guidelines, which were released last month. Alcohol ignition interlock systems require drivers to blow into a breathalyzer-like device – usually installed on a vehicle's dashboard – to ensure the individual is sober before allowing the vehicle to start. The new guidelines help familiarize courts that adjudicate "driving while intoxicated” cases with ignition interlock systems and applicable state laws.
"The latest numbers tell us people are not only making poor decisions and drinking and driving – they are getting deeply intoxicated before getting behind the wheel,” said NHTSA Administrator David L. Strickland. "The best way to keep our roadways safe is to ensure that law enforcement and other part. ners have the information they need to tackle the problem head on. With these guidelines, DWI courts now have an important tool to help keep drunk drivers from putting others at risk.”
Targeting drivers in the final weeks of summer through the Labor Day holiday weekend, NHTSA's annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown is focused on reducing the tragic toll caused by impaired drivers every year. The efforts involve more than 10,000 police departments and other law enforcement agencies across the nation, who will be redoubling their efforts during this period.
Coinciding with enforcement efforts in communities nationwide, NHTSA will air advertisements in major media markets across the country featuring "invisible” law enforcement officers observing alcohol-impaired individuals unseen before apprehending them when they attempt to drive their vehicles. The ads convey the message that law enforcement officers are both omnipresent and vigilant in deterring drunk drivers. The ad theme and slogan will comprise the agency's core drunk driving message for 2011-2016.
View the new statistics from NHTSA.
View the National Center for DWI Courts ignition interlock guidelines.
View NHTSA's ads.