ASHLAND —
The Ashland Police Department is joining with law enforcement throughout the nation for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign starting Friday and lasting until Sept. 3.
The strong nationwide impaired driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb alcohol impaired driving in August and through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The Ashland Police said its officers will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving impaired.
“On average there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 51 minutes across America. But this tragic loss of life can be reduced if we get impaired drivers off our roadways,” said Major Mark McDowell. “Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign reduces alcohol-impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. By joining this nationwide effort, we will make Ashland’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period.”
Last year, Kentucky recorded more than 5,600 crashes related to drugs and alcohol, resulting in 150 deaths and over 3,000 injuries. During the Labor Day holiday weekend, 13 were killed and over 332 were injured on our roadways. Six of those deaths involved alcohol.
“Obviously we want to remind everyone that it is illegal to drive impaired, and we hope the campaign will remind people that if they plan on drinking, to never get behind the wheel,” said McDowell. “But if someone does choose to drive impaired, we will arrest them. No warnings. No excuses.”
According to McDowell, violators face jail time, loss of their driver 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 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,’” said McDowell.
For more information, visit the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Campaign Headquarters at nhtsa.gov/drivesober.
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