HPD watching for drunk drivers during Labor Day holiday

By submitted, 08/20/20 9:41 AM

HOPE – The Labor Day holiday is a special time for families, friends, and co-workers to come together for celebrations and merrymaking. With the extra partying comes the potential for increased drunk driving, as some partygoers fail to responsibly plan for a sober driver. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to make sure this Labor Day is a safe one, which is why the Hope Police Department is partnering with law enforcement nationwide for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign, running from August 21, 2020 through September 7, 2020.

With the support of law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over message will reach millions of drivers. More importantly, it will prevent crashes and injuries, and it will help save lives.

Why Enforcement Matters

During the 2018 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. August 31 – 5:59 a.m. September 4), there were 439 traffic fatalities nationwide.  Forty-three percent of the fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC (blood alcohol concentration).  More than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (24%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC).  Additionally, data indicates age is a particularly risky factor.  Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2018, 47% of those drivers were drunk, with BAC’s of .08 or higher.