Reading Police To Participate In Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over Campaign

The Reading Police Department will enhance its patrol efforts on local roads in the coming weeks as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign according to a release from Chief Mark D. Segalla.

The initiative is funded through a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division. It began Aug. 14 and will continue through Sept. 4.

This year’s campaign focuses on educating drivers on the dangers of impairment caused by marijuana, and the exponentially increased impairment caused when marijuana and alcohol are combined.

Reading Police will have several cruisers on the lookout for impaired and reckless driving.

“No one should ever get behind the wheel when they are impaired,” Chief Segalla said. “This campaign is crucial to the safety of everyone on the road. It allows us to educate the public and target impaired drivers, mitigating the risk for everyone.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, marijuana or marijuana-type drugs were the most prevalent types of drugs found in people killed in crashes from 2010 to 2014, and mixing alcohol and marijuana may produce effects dramatically greater than either drug on its own.

Reading Police have experienced a 25 percent increase in OUI arrests from 2015-2016, while crash reports show OUI-related crashes rose from 10 to 18 during that span. However, the department is preparing to combat the issue by enhancing its enforcement efforts for the safety of its residents and citizens travelling through Reading.

The Reading Police Department is joining more than 200 local law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth, as well as the Massachusetts State Police, as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization.

If you are charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you will lose your license and could face jail time, along with incurring the cost of additional fines and expenses.

For more information about the Highway Safety Division’s educational campaigns, you can visit their website.