Watertown Police Department to Crack Down on Drunk Drivers

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

The Watertown Police Department announced it will join 128 other law enforcement agencies statewide in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving from August 15 to September 3 as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization, funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS-HSD).

Impaired driving is one of America’s most often committed and deadliest crimes. In 2010, 115 people died in impaired driving related crashes in the Commonwealth. Moreover, there were an additional 2,750 impaired driving related personal injury and property damage crashes and almost 14,635 impaired driving arrests.

On average, there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 51 minutes across America. The number of drivers operating under the influence increases during holiday weekends, especially during summer holidays.

“Since twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” said Sgt. David Sampson.

The Watertown Police Department said its officers will be aggressively looking for all impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone they find driving while impaired.

“Our message is simple and unwavering: if we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions,” said Sergeant Sampson.

According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, violators often face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or being sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. All told, a first offense can easily cost well over $5000. Driving impaired is simply not worth all the consequences. Remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.