Osage Beach Police Department joins National St. Patrick’s Day
Holiday Crackdown to Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities
Local police will be out in full force as part of the annual nationwide St. Patrick’s Day Holiday “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” substance-impaired driving crackdown. The crackdown, which will include high-visibility enforcement throughout Osage Beach, will run from March 17-20, 2016.
The effective nationwide substance-impaired driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb substance-impaired driving over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
Osage Beach Police Officers will be aggressively looking for substance-impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving impaired.
Although it is illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive impaired (having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher), far too many people across the nation get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol. The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underscore the serious nature of the nation’s continuing drunk driving epidemic.
Every year, about one third of all motor vehicle traffic deaths involve one or more substance-impaired drivers or motorcycle operators. In 2015, 163 people were killed and 575 seriously injured on Missouri’s roadways in crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired driver. That works out to approximately one substance-impaired driver involved fatality every two (2) days.
During the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day holiday two (2) people were killed and seven (7) seriously injured involving at least one substance – impaired driver.
Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign reduces substance-impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20%. By joining this nationwide effort Osage Beach’s roadways will be safer for everyone throughout the holiday.
Being arrested for driving under the influence of any substance brings a wide range of negative consequences into one’s life. Substance-impaired drivers face jail time, loss of their driver’s licenses and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work and the potential loss of job. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators also often face tremendous personal embarrassment.
Driving while impaired is simply not worth the risk. So don’t take the chance. Remember we will be out in force and we will be watching, so “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” .