On a hot summer day, it’s easy to throw back a few drinks while enjoying the beach or fishing on the dock, and it’s easy to forget that driving home with a buzz is drunk driving. As summer winds down, Wright County Sheriff’s Office will be turning up the heat on drunk drivers starting August 21 as deputies will be conducting extra DWI patrols through September 7.
The enforcement is part of a statewide effort with officers, deputies and troopers from more than 300 agencies working overtime with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (DPS-OTS) coordinates the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement and education effort.
A Deadly Holiday Approaching
As the end of summer nears, Labor Day is the second deadliest major holiday with 24 fatalities over the last five years (2010 – 2014) on Minnesota roads.
Holiday Fatalities (2010 – 2014)
• Fourth of July: 25
• Labor Day: 24
• Memorial Day:
• 22 New Year’s Day: 16
• Christmas: 13 Thanksgiving: 13
Drunk Driving, a Sobering Reality
More than 25,000 drivers are arrested for DWI in Minnesota each year. Those alarming numbers average out to nearly three DWI arrests per hour throughout the state
In the last five years (2010 – 2014), there were 479 drunk driving-related traffic deaths in Minnesota and 88 people were killed in 2014 alone.
DWI Consequences
• Loss of license for up to a year, thousands of dollars in costs and possible jail time.
• Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges or face at least one year without a driver’s license.
• Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges.
Prevent Drunk Driving
• Plan for a safe ride – designate a sober driver, use a cab/public transportation or stay at the location of the celebration.
• Offer to be a designated driver, or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere.
• Buckle up – the best defense against a drunk driver.
• Report drunk driving – call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior. Be prepared to provide location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior.
Definitions
• Driving While Impaired (DWI) is a violation for driving under the influence of alcohol.
• Alcohol-related: any evidence of alcohol detected in a driver, pedestrian or bicyclist.
• Impaired-related: any driver, pedestrian or bicyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above.
• Drunk-driving-related: any driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above.
The enhanced DWI enforcement campaign is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program. A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe and smart driving behavior. TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes – education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical and trauma response.