Impaired Driving Program - Drink. Drive. Go to Jail

 

Members of the trooper enforcement teams

Two Anchorage Police Officers pose in front of APD HQ

Trooper Ssgt. Adams speaks at a DUI awareness conference

Impaired Driving Is a Crime

• Nationwide in 2009, there were 10,839 fatalities in crashes involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher - 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year. An average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 48 minutes in 2009. (NHTSA)
• That’s why law enforcement will be out in force across the nation, during holiday enforcement periods, cracking down on drunk drivers.
• Our message is simple – Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
• No matter what you drive – a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle – if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you.
• Far too many people still don’t understand that alcohol, drugs, and driving don’t mix. Impaired driving is no accident – nor is it a victimless crime.
• Fortunately, much of the tragedy that comes from impaired driving crashes could be prevented if everyone would take a few simple precautions.
• Always follow these tips for a safe holiday weekend:
  • Whenever you plan on consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys;
  • If you’re impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely;
  • Use your community’s Sober Rides program;
  • Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement;
  • Wearing your safety belt while in a car or using a helmet and protective gear when on a motorcycle is your best defense against an impaired driver;

Alcohol and Fatal Motorcycle Crashes

• Alcohol affects those skills essential to operating a motorcycle – balance and coordination. So it plays a particularly big role in motorcycle fatalities.
• Twenty-eight percent of all 2004 fatally injured motorcycle operators had BAC levels of .08 or higher. An additional 6 percent had lower alcohol levels (BAC .01 to .07).
• Forty-one percent of the 1,672 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2004 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.
• The 2004 age groups 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 are those with the highest rates of alcohol involvement for motorcycle operators in fatal crashes.

Impaired Driving Creates Serious Consequences

• The tragedies and costs from driving impaired do not just end at the potential death, disfigurement, disability and injury caused by impaired drivers.
• Driving or riding a motorcycle while impaired is not worth the risk. The consequences are serious and real. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can be significant.
• Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses from attorney fees, other fines and court costs, car towing and repairs, lost time at work, etc.
• Refuse a sobriety test in many jurisdictions and you can lose your license on the spot and have your car impounded.
• Plus, there is the added embarrassment, humiliation, and potential loss and consequence after informing family, friends and employers.

Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over

• Drunk driving is a serious crime.
• Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Although drunk driving fatalities across the nation slightly declined in 2003 and 2004, alcohol-related fatalities are projected to increase in 2005. Moreover, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people were arrested for driving under the influence during 2004.
• That’s why law enforcement will be out in force looking for drunk drivers. Don’t take the risk. Remember Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.
• That’s why law enforcement will be out in force looking for drunk drivers. Don’t take the risk. Remember Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.
• For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.com.