BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Labor Day is arising, and the police are warning residents in opposition to consuming and driving.
This Labor Day weekend, the Biloxi Police Division is collaborating within the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ impaired driving consciousness marketing campaign, which runs from August 18 – September 6. The police warn that drunk driving just isn’t solely unlawful but additionally a matter of life and dying.
“Drunk driving just isn’t acceptable conduct, particularly when there are such a lot of protected alternate options to get you house safely,” stated Capt. Brian Dykes.
In response to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,142 folks have been killed in motorcar crashes in 2019 involving alcohol-impaired drivers. On common, greater than 10,000 folks have been killed annually from 2015 to 2019, and one individual was killed in a drunk-driving crash each 52 minutes in 2019.
“We wish our neighborhood members to know it’s our first precedence to maintain folks protected, so we’re asking everybody to plan forward in the event that they know they’ll be out consuming,” stated Capt. Dykes. “We want dedication from our neighborhood members that they’ll preserve the streets freed from drunk drivers so everybody can have a protected vacation. It is a marketing campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is unlawful and it takes lives. Let’s make this a partnership between regulation enforcement and drivers: Assist us shield the neighborhood and put an finish to this mindless conduct,” he stated.
Throughout the 2019 Labor Day vacation interval, there have been 451 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-five p.c of these fatalities concerned drivers who had been consuming. Forty-six p.c of these drivers killed in crashes over the 2019 Labor day vacation have been between the ages of 18 and 34.
The Biloxi Police Division and NHTSA are reminding residents of the various sources obtainable to get them house safely. They advocate these protected alternate options to consuming and driving:
- Keep in mind that it’s by no means okay to drink and drive. Even should you’ve had just one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to make use of public transportation or a journey service to get house safely.
- If you happen to see a drunk driver on the highway, contact the Biloxi Police Division.
- Do you will have a buddy who’s about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make preparations to get your buddy house safely.
For extra data on impaired driving, go to https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.
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