Major Enforcement Effort Seeks to Save Lives

[Aberdeen, Ohio] – Aberdeen Police Department today announced its officers will be out in full force during the Labor Day holiday period, beginning August 21. They will join thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies throughout the nation as they take part in the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest crackdown on impaired driving. The enforcement blitz will last through the holiday weekend ending September 7, 2009.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2007, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

The picture for motorcycle riders is particularly bleak. In fatal crashes in 2007, a higher percentage of motorcycle riders (27 percent) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher than any other type of motor vehicle driver.

“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive—a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle—if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,”

 The national Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. impaired driving crackdown is a program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity. 

 This year’s effort is supported by $13 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that if they are caught driving impaired, they will be arrested. 

For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.