Drive safe – or else – this holiday weekend
Notwithstanding statewide progress in the fight against drunk driving over the past decade, drunk driving is still killing six people a year in Augusta County, according to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles data of alcohol-related traffic deaths averaged over the last five years. Augusta County averaged the 11th most drunk-driving fatalities in Virginia during the 2006 to 2010 period.
The Commonwealth averaged 243 drunk driving deaths a year – approximately two DUI deaths every three days – over the five-year period. Across Virginia, 37 percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related, according to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles data.
The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office is participating in the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign, which is stopping drunk driving through a combination of public education and stepped-up law-enforcement efforts. So if your Thanksgiving plans include alcohol with your turkey and football, the road is absolutely the last place to end the day.
“Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends and reflect on the year’s good fortune. But killing or hurting yourself or someone else by driving under the influence is nothing to be thankful for,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, the project director of the region’s Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign.”Our message to drivers is simple this holiday weekend: Drive sober or get pulled over.”
This year marks the 10th year of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign and the campaign is paying life-saving dividends: Since 2001, Virginia has seen a 23-percent decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and a 32-percent decrease in alcohol-related traffic injuries.
Throughout November and December 2011, the Augusta County officers are focused on keeping roads free from drunk drivers. Augusta County law-enforcement efforts include sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and increased enforcement around the holidays.
Across Virginia in 2010, 32,760 drunk-driving arrests weremade, which resulted in 29,063 convictions – an average of one DUI conviction every 18 minutes.
Checkpoint Strikeforce is a research-based, zero-tolerance campaign in the Mid-Atlantic states designed to both identify and apprehend drunk drivers through sobriety checkpoints and other enhanced law-enforcement efforts and to educate the public about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving. Nearly 43,000 ads will run on a total of 84 broadcast stations, cable systems and radio stations in Virginia this year with additional ads being broadcast separately in Northern Virginia.
State cracking down on drunk driving
Gov. Bob McDonnell today kicked-off Virginia’s 10th annual Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign – a statewide law enforcement and public awareness effort to detect and deter impaired drivers in the Commonwealth.
As part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s regional campaign, the Governor announced that drunk drivers on Virginia roadways will face the likelihood of arrest because state and local law enforcement officials are increasingly conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols effective now through the end of the calendar year.
Since the inception of Virginia’s Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign in 2002, alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the state have decreased by over 23-percent while alcohol-related traffic injuries in the Commonwealth have decreased by over 32-percent. In 2010, fewer individuals (274) were killed on Virginia highways due to alcohol than in any year since at least 1997 (302). The Governor credited this progress to the combination of effective public education and targeted enforcement.
“Each year we see too many drivers get behind the wheel of a vehicle while they are under the influence of alcohol. However, because of the efforts of the Checkpoint Strikeforce, every year the number of those putting innocent citizens in danger continues to decrease,” McDonnell said. “Through the public education campaigns conducted by Checkpoint Strikeforce, along with more DUI checkpoints on our roads, we are seeing positive results. This Labor Day Weekend, we will have ads running reminding motorists of the consequences of drinking and driving. We also will step up law enforcement throughout the state. It is our goal that through these efforts more Virginia motorists will choose not to drink and drive this holiday weekend and throughout the year. One drunk driver on our roadways, is one drunk driver too many.”
As part of the Checkpoint Strikeforce program, Virginia’s law enforcement community is out in force, looking for drunk drivers. In 2010, 32,760 individuals were arrested for DUI across the state, resulting in 29,063 DUI convictions – an average of one conviction every 18 minutes.
To assist with the 2011 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign launch, Virginia law enforcement agencies are joining with neighboring states Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina in a border-to-border effort over the Labor Day holiday.
In 2009, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for over a third (38%) of all U.S. motor fatalities throughout the Labor Day holiday according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A total of 13 traffic fatalities occurred statewide during the four-day holiday last year.
The region-wide Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign combines stepped-up law enforcement efforts and proactive public education to promote a multijurisdictional effort in the fight against drunk driving. A significant multi-media campaign, encompassing radio and television, will run nearly 43,000 ads on a total of 84 broadcast stations, cable systems and radio stations in Virginia between now and December. Additional ads will be broadcast in northern Virginia through a separate media-buy
In addition to the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign, the Virginia Department of State Police will engage in the annual Operation C.A.R.E. traffic enforcement campaign. The Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) is a state-sponsored, national program designed to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries caused by speeding, impaired driving and failure to use occupant restraints. As a participating agency, Virginia State Police will increase visibility and traffic enforcement efforts throughout the Commonwealth beginning Friday morning, September 2, 2011, at 12:01 a.m. and continuing through midnight Monday, September 5, 2011.
MWR Strategies, a Richmond-based research firm that has conducted Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign surveys since 2002, conducted a public opinion survey of 800 drivers in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia in July 2011 for Checkpoint Strikeforce. Among the campaign’s targeted audience of males aged 21 to 35, key findings include:
- Two-thirds (66%) of these local drivers perceive drunk driving as one of the most serious dangers faced on area roadways.
- Fear of law enforcement and causing death or injury to someone else are equally viewed by these local drivers as the top reasons persons do not drive drunk.
- Nearly half (46%) of these local drivers have either been stopped by law enforcement for a DUI or know someone who has been stopped for a DUI.
- Nearly nine-out-of-ten (88%) of these local drivers would report suspected drunk drivers to law enforcement.
The Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign is supported by a grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ Highway Safety Office to the nonprofit and Virginia-based Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP).
Get more information and see the ads at www.checkpointstrikeforce.net.
Good news, bad news in driving data
Some good news on driving safety today from Gov. Bob McDonnell: Traffic fatalities on Virginia roadways will reach a record low in 2010 for the second straight year.
Some bad news on the safety front today from AAA: A new report indicates that 10 percent of drivers have driven while under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past 12 months, and more than half of those reported doing so multiple times.
“Drunk drivers put everyone on the road in danger, especially during holiday season which often combines travel with multiple opportunities to consume alcohol,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Martha Meade said.
And that’s the focus in the here and now, with the festive New Year’s holiday on the horizon. Analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2000-2009 shows that an average of 80 people a year are killed nationwide in alcohol-related crashes on New Year’s Day, and in 2005, the last time New Year’s fell on a Saturday, 98 people died in alcohol-related crashes on New Year’s.
AAA is encouraging people to visit TakeThePledge.AAA.com to sign a quick online pledge to drive only while drug and alcohol-free this holiday season and all year long. Once you’ve taken the free pledge, you can share it via Facebook and Twitter, or even send personalized E-cards to encourage others to do the same.
Efforts at the state level to combat drunk driving are attributed with the reduction in traffic fatalities in Virginia in 2010. As of today, there were 715 road deaths reported statewide compared to 750 on this same date last year; a 5 percent decrease from 2009 and a 40 percent decrease from a record high of 1,026 traffic fatalities in 2007.
This year, DMV’s Virginia Highway Safety Office, Virginia State Police and local law enforcement joined together for “Checkpoint Strikeforce,” an annual media and enforcement campaign aimed at preventing drunk driving; as well as with VDOT for “Operation Air, Land and Speed,” an enforcement effort conducted periodically on Virginia’s interstates. DMV and State Police also partnered with local law enforcement for the periodic “Click It or Ticket” safety belt enforcement mobilization.
While the downward trend in traffic deaths is positive, safety experts warn motorists not to become complacent.
“We must remain vigilant on our roadways since there’s no such thing as an ‘acceptable’ number of traffic deaths, except zero,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.
Virginia State Police Superintendent, Col. W. Steven Flaherty, advises motorists to buckle up, avoid distractions, obey the speed limit and not to drive impaired.
“Virginians must make smart decisions and take responsible actions while driving on our roads,” Flaherty said. “The loss of life on our highways is unfortunate and needless. The goal for all of us should be to prevent crashes and change our driving behaviors for the better.”
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Shannon ad goes at Cuccinelli on DUI legislation
Attorney-general candidate Steve Shannon launched the third television ad of his campaign today. The ad highlights Shannon’s experience as a prosecutor and his opponent’s weak record on drunk driving legislation.
“Drunk driving poses a serious threat to the safety of Virginians,” Shannon said. “With over 900 alcohol-related accidents every month, it’s a problem we can’t ignore. When I was a state prosecutor, I won the convictions of hundreds of drunk drivers, and when I’m attorney general, I will implement an aggressive plan to crack down on this dangerous behavior. Read more
Shannon talks up plan to fight drunk-driving
Democratic Party attorney-general candidate Steve Shannon announced his comprehensive plan to combat drunk driving in Virginia today at the Annual Conference of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.
Shannon’s plan will increase enforcement of drunk driving laws, strengthen penalties for drunk drivers, make sure prosecutors have the tools they need to get convictions in drunk driving cases, and prevent drunk driving incidents before they happen with education and awareness programs targeted at minors and 21-34 year olds who are the most likely to drive drunk. Read more
