For the first time, the Houston Police Department will join other law enforcement agencies around Missouri in a statewide crack down known as “You Drink and Drive. You Lose.”
The annual focus on drinking and driving, sponsored by MoDOT’s Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, is set for Aug. 19-Sept. 5.
“The main thing is to get drunks off the road,” Houston Police Chief Jim McNiell said. “But we also want to send a strong message to the public that we are participating, and we encourage people to make wiser choices and not drink and drive.”
Impaired driving contributes to nearly 30 percent of Missouri traffic fatalities. In 2010, 234 people were killed and 957 seriously injured in crashes involving an impaired driver.
During the crack down, Houston police will participate in sobriety checkpoints and DWI saturation patrols enforcing Missouri’s DWI laws and keeping impaired drivers off the road.
Consequences of drunk driving include jail time, loss of driver’s licenses or sentences involving the use of ignition interlocks. Financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work and the potential loss of job or job prospects. Insurance rates go up as well, and when family, friends, and co-workers find out, violators can face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation.
“Driving drunk is simply not worth all the consequences,” McNiell said. “Our message is simple and unwavering: You drink and drive – you lose.”
For more information, log onto www.saveMOlives.com