JACKSON, Miss.- Law enforcement officers gathered at the Ag Museum today to kick off the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign that lasts until Labor day, Sept. 5.
As officers pilled in to enjoy a provided lunch speakers engaged them in a mission to stop drunk driving.
“2016 is becoming one of the most deadly summers for Mississippi travelers. Law enforcement is aiming to drastically reduce drunk driving on our state’s roads. Local drivers should expect to see more patrol vehicles, sobriety checkpoints, and increased messaging about the dangers of drunk driving,” said Hinds Co. Sheriff Victor Mason.
Typically, Labor Day weekend has higher drunk driving fatality reports. In 2014 alone 40 percent of traffic crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. That is the highest it has been in five years.
“The reality is that people aren’t invincible. Of those killed in impaired-driving crashes, 64% were the drunk drivers themselves. Those drunk drivers thought they would make it to their destinations, but they didn’t. Do not trust yourself when you drink,” said Mississippi Department of Highway Patrol Division Director Twyla Jennings.
Nearly 10,000 people are killed yearly across the nation due to alcohol related accidents. With apps like SaferRide moble, Uber, and local taxis, finding another way home has never been easier.
“You may think you aren’t drunk, but law enforcement will know you are. Skills in detecting and identifying drunk drivers have never been better. They will spot you and arrest you,” said Jennings.
So remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
