The Riverside Police Department is looking for drunk drivers this holiday season as part of a special year-end Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement.
The Riverside Police Department is looking for drunk drivers this holiday season as part of a
special year-end Drive Sober or Get
Pulled Over enforcement.
“Beginning
Dec. 16 and continuing into the New Year, motorists will see stepped-up
enforcement to watch for anyone who is driving impaired, distracted or without
a seat belt,” said Sergeant Jeff
Miller. “We are helping Illinois drive zero fatalities to reality, so we will
have zero tolerance for drunk and drug-impaired driving this holiday season.”
Too often, drivers take to the roads after drinking at
holiday celebrations. Data shows the decision to drive while impaired can have
serious and sometimes deadly consequences. In 2015, 35,092 people in the United
States were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, and 29 percent (10,265)
died in crashes where the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over
the limit of .08.
“This ought
to be the ‘most wonderful time of the year,’ so we are doing whatever it takes
to help save lives by keeping our roads safe,” Sergeant Miller
said. “If you choose to drive impaired, you not only risk your safety and
that of others, but you will also face serious legal consequences.”
Drunk or drug-impaired driving offenders often serve
jail time, lose their driver’s license, are charged higher insurance rates and
pay dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court
costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off work. But the
ultimate cost of impaired driving is causing a traffic crash that results in
injury or death.
Follow these trips to stay safe on the road this
holiday season:
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If you will be
drinking, plan on not driving. Arrange for a safe ride home or designate a
sober driver before you start the party.
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If you become
intoxicated or drug-impaired, do not drive for any reason. Call a taxi, phone a
sober friend or family member, use public transportation.
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If someone you
know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Take their
keys, take them home or help them arrange a safe way home.
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If you see an
impaired driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement. Your actions
could help save someone’s life.
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Buckle your seat belt, regardless of where you are
seated. By law, all occupants, in all seating positions, must wear their seat
belt.
Remember, Drive
Sober or Get Pulled Over.