Spring Break 2016: Troopers On Lookout For Drunk Drivers

TALLAHASSEE, FL — As college students across the country prepare for Spring Break 2016, the state of Florida is launching an awareness campaign to remind Sunshine State partiers to not drive drunk.

“With record population numbers and record number of visitors, Florida’s beautiful beaches and tourist attractions lure thousands of spring breakers every year, but bad decisions about drugs and alcohol can change lives forever,” the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced in a media release. “(The agency) reminds everyone to be safe as they celebrate their spring break.”

To help keep roads throughout Tampa Bay and the entire state safe, the Florida Highway Patrol is also reminding motorists that law enforcement will be out in force making sure the state’s drinking age laws are followed. Officers statewide also intend to help keep impaired drivers off roads as Spring Break season gets under way.

Law enforcement officers throughout the state responded to more than 32,000 crashes in March 2015, according to state statistics. A total of 478 of those crashes involved alcohol-impaired drivers. There were 44 people killed last March in alcohol-related crashes.

Last March was also a busy month for DUI arrests. State figures show more than 4,500 DUI citations were issued in that single month.

To find out more, visit the state’s Spring Break Safety Campaign page.

To find out how many citations and crashes occurred on roads in the Tampa Bay area during 2015, check out this story: “Tampa Bay Area 2015 Crash, DUI Statistics Released.”

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol