The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently issued a press release about their Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over safety campaign. More than 10,000 law enforcement agencies across the nation are taking part in a crackdown on drunk driving leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend. Labor Day weekend, like many holiday weekends, is one of the deadliest times of the year to be on U.S. roadways. The campaign will be running from August 21 to September 7, 2015, and the NHTSA has a $13.5 million national advertising budget to get the word out.
Labor Day Drunk Driving Statistics
- On Labor Day weekend in 2013, there were 424 crash fatalities nationwide.
- Nearly half of those fatal crashes involved drivers who had been drinking.
- More than a quarter of those crashes involved drivers with BAC at almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC).
- Among the drivers between the ages of 18 and 34, who were killed in crashes over Labor Day weekend in 2013, 45 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher.
- In fatal crashes during the month of August, over the five-year period of 2009-2013, nearly 1 out of 10 of the drunk drivers involved had one or more previous convictions for drunk driving.
- In 2013, half of all fatalities during the nighttime (6:00 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) involved drunk drivers, as compared with 14 percent during the day.
Drunk Driving Crashes in Texoma
Earlier this week, we reported on a drunk driving crash that happened on U.S. 281. At least one person had to be airlifted to United Regional for treatment of serious injuries, and a driver involved was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Law enforcement officers in Wichita Falls and other Texoma communities will likely be stepping up their own enforcement efforts for the upcoming holiday weekend. The NHTSA is also reminding people that buzzed driving is drunk driving. Even one drink can be one drink too many, so if you plan to celebrate with alcohol, make a plan to get home safely.
If a drunk driver has injured you or somebody you love in Wichita Falls, Texas, Lawton, Oklahoma or any of the surrounding Texoma communities, contact the experienced team at the Altman Legal Group at 940-761-4000 for a free case consultation today.