Law enforcement agencies across the country have stepped up drunk driving enforcement this Labor Day holiday weekend, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.
The Sheriff’s Department is taking part in “Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over,” a campaign taking aim at drunk drivers, by conducting saturation patrols this weekend, the release said.
The release said alcohol-related deaths accounted for one out of three fatalities on the road in 2010. A new report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration shows drunk driving deaths dropped slightly, by about 5 percent, from 2009 to 2010.
“However, drivers that do drink are increasingly intoxicated,” the release said.
New statistics released show that 70 percent of deaths in drunk driving crashes in 2010 involved drivers with a blood alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit.
The release cited more facts from the NHTSA:
- People from 20 to 24 years old are most likely to be involved in drunk driving deaths.
- There was one drunk driving death every 51 minutes during 2010.
- Drivers caught driving under the influence once are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is supported by a grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office. For more information, please visit: www.nhtsa.gov.
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