Now through September 2, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working alongside the Mountain Home Police Deptartment for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign. The goal of the program is to deter impaired driving and prevent the accidents seen in previous Labor Day weekends from occurring.
During the 2022 Labor Day holiday, there were 490 crash fatalities nationwide. Of these crashes, 39% involved a drunk driver, and a quarter involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit. 47% of drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed were drunk with BACs of 0.8 or higher.
Cpl. Rockie Morrell from the Mountain Home Police Department, says “We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is an awareness effort to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Let’s make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: Help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior.”
The Mountain Home Police Department recommends drivers plan ahead if they intend to drink. Impairment clouds a person’s judgment, so drivers should secure a designated sober driver or call a taxi or rideshare for a sober ride home. If a friend is drunk and considering driving, friends should be proactive by taking the keys away and giving them a sober ride home. Drunk drivers should be reported to the Mountain Home Police Department.
For more information, visit www.NHTSA.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.
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