Labor Day weekend is upon us, and law enforcement agencies nationwide will be cracking down on drunk driving. More than 10,000 law enforcement agencies will be searching for drunk drivers, with zero tolerance for anyone driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more, which is the legal limit.
The crackdown is supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, a $13.5 million advertising campaign aimed at deterring drunk driving.
The campaign runs from August 21 to Sept. 7, 2015. Official say there has been a steep decline in drunk driving, but motorists are still at risk. The chances of encountering a drunk driver rises drastically from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Over Labor Day weekend in 2013, half of all nighttime fatalities involved drunk driving, versus only 14 percent of daytime fatalities. According to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind, “Targeted enforcement campaigns are an essential element in our strategy to save lives and reduce crashes, and they have helped sharply reduce the number of drunk drivers on our roads.”
Drunk driving is a major public health problem in the United States. In 2013, 31 percent of all traffic casualties were attributed to alcohol impairment, causing a total of 10,076 deaths. Of those fatalities, 69 percent were involved in a crash where at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or more, which is almost twice the legal limit.
The NHTSA stresses that the best way motorists can protect themselves from drunk drivers is to wear a seatbelt. The agency’s SafeRide app aims to keep drunk drivers off the road by allowing users to call for a ride in the event they are too drunk to drive; the app allows users to call a friend or a taxi, and pinpoints their location for pickup.
If you or someone you love is injured in a wreck caused by a driver under the influence, don’t hesitate to contact Schmidt Kramer for your legal needs.
Call (717) 888-8888 or fill out a free online consultation form.