ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — In Arkansas, and across the country, the message by law enforcement is clear, “drive sober or get pulled over.”
Beginning Friday, December 18, through January 1, 2021, there will be a heightened state of local law enforcement presence.
The Arkansas State Police (ASP) announced the two-week-long enforcement plan is aimed at drivers who choose to get behind the wheel while impaired.
ASP, along with local police and sheriff’s deputies, is making drivers aware of “the stepped-up patrols along U.S. and state highways, as well as local streets and county roads.”
The goal is to reduce drunk drivers from being on the roadways. The national campaign is getting the word out by public service advertising and by law enforcement officers who will have a zero tolerance for drunk driving.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data
- 10,511 deaths in the U.S. were a result of drunk-driving crashes.
- In 2018, one person died every 50 minutes because of a drunk-driving car crash.
- From 2014 to 2018, on average more than 10,000 people were killed as a result of drunk driving-related crashes.
NHTSA REMINDERS
- Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely.
- If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact the nearest law enforcement agency. Your actions could help save someone’s life.
- Guard against allowing a friend who has been drinking to drive. Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
“The Christmas and New Year’s holiday period should be an enjoyable time for our Arkansas families, not a marker of death for a loved one who was involved in a drunk driving crash,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.
