Motorists are being warned to drive sober or get pulled over as law enforcement agencies in three Tri-County area counties will be cracking down on drunk drivers through additional patrols Aug. 16-Sept. 3.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is coordinating the crackdown by administering federal traffic safety funds to nearly 160 agencies in 26 counties. Grant-funded counties in the Tri-County area are Bay, Genesee and Saginaw. The enforcement effort includes the Labor Day holiday period, a popular travel time.
“Extra officers will be out on the road, looking for drunk drivers,” said OHSP Director Michael L. Prince. “Motorists need to be aware that it’s simply not worth the risk. If they are caught over the limit, they will find themselves under arrest.”
During last year’s Labor Day drunk driving crackdown, 230 motorists were arrested for drunk driving and other alcohol-related offenses.
About 35 percent of traffic fatalities in Michigan involve alcohol and/or drugs, and last year, 319 people died as a result of alcohol and/or drug-involved traffic crashes. Over the 2011 Labor Day holiday weekend, 12 people died in Michigan crashes. Four of those deaths involved alcohol, according to the Michigan Department of State Police Criminal Justice Information Center.
Motorists face severe penalties for driving drunk. Those convicted of a first drunk driving offense face up to 93 days in jail, up to a $500 fine, up to 360 hours of community service, six points on a driver’s license and up to 180 days’ license suspension.
Anyone arrested for a first-time drunk driving offense with a .17 blood alcohol content or above faces increased penalties including the possible installation of an ignition interlock device preventing the car from starting if the driver has been drinking.
In addition, convicted drunk drivers will be subject to a $1,000 fee for two consecutive years, for a total of $2,000 in additional costs. Anyone who refuses a breath test the first time is given an automatic one-year driver’s license suspension.
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