Regional News

Summer Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

Aug 22, 2016

Washington State Troopers will be out in force over the next couple of weeks for the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. The enforcement campaign coincides with the 2016 Labor Day holiday weekend which nationally is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of drunk-driving fatalities.

In Washington State in 2015 the Washington Traffic Safety Commission found that:

251 impaired drivers involved in deadly crashes
20% tested positive for alcohol greater than .08 only
20% tested positive for a single drug.
Nearly 60% tested positive for multiple drugs, or drugs mixed with alcohol.

During the Labor Day weekend in 2015, the WSP made 146 DUI arrests and stopped 4,859 drivers for speeding. During the same time period, Troopers responded to 277 collisions.

Extra patrols will run from August 19 to September 5, 2016. The Washington State Patrol is partnering with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other Washington State law enforcement agencies to step up enforcement and put an end to drunk driving, showing zero tolerance in an effort to save lives.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging everyone to get a safe ride, especially if alcohol, prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or other drug use might be causing any impairment.

These extra patrols are part of Target Zero—striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030. For more information, visit www.targetzero.com.