You Drink and Drive | You Loose

NHTSA - You don't even have to drive—or drink—to have experienced the effects of impaired driving. One in three Americans will be affected by this violent crime in his or her lifetime, whether as victim or perpetrator. Are those odds you want to ignore?

Your local law enforcement officials think you deserve better. That's why [town/city] police and prosecutors are supporting NHTSA's national You Drink & Drive. You Lose. campaign by conducting sobriety checkpoints* and saturation patrols during National Sobriety Checkpoint Week, June 28-July 5, 2000—and specifically over the July Fourth holiday weekend.

National Sobriety Checkpoint Week* and You Drink & Drive. You Lose. are supported by a number of safety-minded organizations, including NHTSA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Nationwide Insurance and a host of other national and regional public service groups. The campaign's goal is to reduce deaths from impaired driving from 16,000 in 1998 to no more than 11,000 by 2005. Surely the citizens of [town/city] can do our part by supporting the sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols you may encounter July 1 through 4.

Checkpoints and saturation patrols are proven strategies that reduce impaired driving, and they don't have to inconvenience drivers. A well-conducted, well-planned checkpoint delays drivers no more than a few minutes, or the length of an average traffic signal. That's a small fraction of time to ensure that you and your family get where you're going safely.

If you choose to drink during Independence Day celebrations, make sure you designate a sober driver, call a taxi, or spend the night where you are. If you ignore this advice, be prepared to face a checkpoint or patrol stop. If you're impaired, you could be subject to immediate arrest and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. At a minimum, that can mean surrendering your license, paying a fine, and losing time on the job to appear in court. In worse cases, you'll owe attorney's fees, have a criminal record, and could possibly face imprisonment for vehicular manslaughter or homicide.

Some argue that alcohol- and drug-related traffic fatalities are at an all-time low. That may be true, but still, one person is killed every 33 minutes and one is injured every two minutes as a result of impaired driving. So take warning, or take heart: July 1 through 4, drivers who get behind the wheel after using alcohol or drugs will be detected, arrested and subjected to severe penalties. Impaired driving is a violent crime that kills. In [city/town], You Drink & Drive. You Lose.

*If your state/jurisdiction does not permit sobriety checkpoints, please tailor to your jurisdiction's enforcement activity.

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