Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over in North Reading

North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy is urging drivers to stay safe and drive sober as the summer winds down.

From August 14 to Sept. 7, the North Reading Police Department will be teaming up with Massachusetts State Police and more than 190 local police departments across the state to curb impaired driving and save lives.

The 25-day, high-visibility campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, is funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD).

In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed across the country in drunk-driving crashes, and 118 of those people were killed on Massachusetts roadways.

As people celebrate the final days of summer, Labor Day weekend is a dangerous time to be on the roads. Thirty-eight percent of national crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend in 2013 involved drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 or higher, amounting to 161 lives lost across the country. There were four fatalities that same weekend in Massachusetts.

“Too many people are still making the wrong decision when it comes to drinking and then getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle,” said Murphy. “The statistics don’t lie: drinking and driving causes senseless deaths each and every year – deaths that are always preventable. Don’t make excuses, make plans. Make the right call if you are impaired: don’t drink and drive.”

In Massachusetts, it’s illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher.

Murphy reminds North Reading drivers that driving sober is not a recommendation,it’s the law. During the upcoming enforcement period, there will be a special emphasis on drunk-driving enforcement and local drivers should expect to see more patrol vehicle.

“All it takes is a little planning ahead,” said Murphy. “Designate a sober driver or call a cab. Don’t drink and drive.”