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Baxter County Patrol Vehicle

SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO STEP UP DWI ENFORCEMENT DURING UPCOMING FOURTH OFJULY WEEKEND

06/21/2011

July 4th celebrations often include cook-outs, picnics, boating, time spent with family and friends and, of course, fireworks.  But for too many Americans, the nation’s annual celebration is filled with tragedy, as it is one of the deadliest holidays of the year when it comes to alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities. 

 

That’s why the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office will be out in force during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, cracking down on impaired drivers with aggressive Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest enforcement.  

 

Statistics gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the past 25 years show that, on average, nearly half of all deadly traffic crashes over each year’s July 4th holiday involved some level of alcohol. 

 

In fact, 410 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationally during the Fourth of July weekend in 2009.  Of that number, 40 percent involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter or higher.

 

The Fourth of July is a time most Americans spend celebrating with family and friends, but it is also one of the year’s deadliest times on our roadways. The Sheriff’s Office will be out in force cracking down on drunk drivers.  Drivers who are impaired or over the limit will be arrested.

 

All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have made it illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher.

 

Impaired drivers not only take the risk of hurting or killing themselves or someone else, the trauma and financial costs of an alcohol-impaired-driving crash or an arrest can be significant.  Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates and dozens of other unanticipated expenses. 

 

Alcohol impairs many of the skills that safe driving requires. The Sheriff’s Office will be showing zero tolerance, and anyone caught driving with a BAC of .08 or higher will be arrested.

 

For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

 

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff