An annual reminder not to drink and drive is back as the Labor Day weekend nears. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHSTA) 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign begins Aug. 18.
"The goal is to raise the level of awareness," says Sharon Garry with Hamilton County Safe Communities.
Local law enforcement are partnering this year with the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and businesses in the DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area) district at The Banks to encourage responsible drinking.
"They as businesses take their responsibility seriously and they also want to encourage their patrons to do that too," Garry adds. "We want you to enjoy but we (also) want you to be safe."
The 25 agencies that partner in the Hamilton County OVI Task Force will step up enforcement with overtime patrols during the nearly three-week campaign from Aug. 18 through Sept. 6.
A sobriety checkpoint is planned for Friday, Aug. 13, in Mariemont. According to the head of the task force, two more are planned during the enforcement window.
NHTSA notes 38% of Labor Day holiday traffic fatalities in 2019 involved a drunken driver. Additionally, about a third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunken drivers (with BACs at or above .08). There were 10,142 people killed in drunken-driving crashes in 2019.
