Statewide Impaired Driving Crackdown Planned
JEFFERSON CITY, MO –If you choose to drive impaired this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, your luck will run out. More than 200 Missouri law enforcement agencies will take part in a special impaired driving crackdown that puts additional officers on the road March 14-17.The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reminds motorists to “Choose Your Ride.” with special campaign messaging to designate a driver, call a cab, or the options can include a ride in a patrol car, or even worse – a hearse.“Statewide, law enforcement made 412 DWI arrests during a similar campaign in March of 2013,” says Colonel Ron Replogle, Superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “Officers are committed to removing impaired drivers from our roads.”
Throughout March, safety advertising in restaurants and bars across Missouri serve as reminders of the importance of choosing a completely sober ride, such as a taxi. However, the alternative options of a patrol car or a hearse are sobering reminders of the consequences of choosing the wrong ride.
Drinking and driving is a lethal combination. A person who causes a fatal crash while intoxicated, can be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony resulting in up to seven years of prison time, a $5000 fine, or both.
To learn more, visit the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety website at savemolives.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at Save MO Lives.
