Labor Day Drunk Driving Crackdown Going On Now

State law enforcement officials launched the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign this week in an effort to keep drunk drivers off the roads and encourage those who drink to designate a driver to get them home safely.

The campaign, which went into effect last week, runs through the Labor Day weekend.

The program began in the wake of a 28 percent increase in drunken driving fatalities from 2014 and 19 percent increase in drug-influenced traffic fatalities in 2015 from the prior year. Statewide, 384 people died in drug- or alcohol-related crashes last year, an increase from 319 in 2014 and 354 in 2013.

“Hundreds of families are suffering tragic consequences because drivers made the wrong choice to drive drunk. The law enforcement officers participating in this campaign are dedicated to changing that,” Michael L. Prince, Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) director said in a statement.

In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Motorists face enhanced penalties if arrested for a first-time drunk driving offense with a .17 BAC or higher.

Last year, 15 people died in 12 traffic crashes during the Labor Day holiday period, an increase from six fatalities during the 2014 Labor Day holiday.

Nearly two-thirds of those accidents were alcohol-related, law enforcement officials said.

During last year’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement, officers arrested 351 drunk drivers and issued 2,630 seat belt and child restraint citations.

Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall, and children under 4 years old must be in the back seat.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is supported with federal traffic safety funds coordinated by the OHSP. Grant-funded impaired driving and seat belt enforcement is part of Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013.
In Clinton Township, officials are using an election year theme for the impaired driving campaign, The Macomb Daily reported.

“Whatever your political party or your leanings, this is one campaign I think we all can get behind because a vote for a designated driver is always the right choice,” Anne Readett said at a news conference.

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, who attended the event with other state law enforcement officials at his side, said the campaign also helps reinforce most motorists’ “good habits” of driving sober or riding with a sober driver, as well as wearing a seat belt.

“There is zero tolerance for impaired drivers,” Wickersham said. “If you choose to drive drunk, these officers will find you and arrest you. But an arrest isn’t the end for a drunk driver. It is a costly crime in terms of hefty fines and fees.”

Those convicted of drunken driving the first time face up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine, 360 hours of community service, six points on their driving record and a 180-day license suspension, Wickersham said.

Those convicted of drunken driving multiple times or convicted of “super drunk” driving, registering blood-alcohol content .17 percent or higher, face harsher penalties.

More information is available here.

Image: James Palinsad via Flickr / Creative Commons

Video: Courtesy of YouTube/Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning