Press release:
Genesee County STOP-DWI coordinator Matt Landers announced today that the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, City of Batavia Police Department, and the Village of Le Roy Police Department will participate in a special enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving.
While we spend this Holiday Season celebrating with friends and family and looking forward to the blessings of a New Year, the law enforcement community across New York State will take to the roads in an effort to stop impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives.
The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts start on Dec. 18th and will end on Jan. 3rd. New York State Police, county sheriffs and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force. Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce drunk driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Sobriety checkpoints play a key part in raising awareness about the problem.
The STOP-DWI Holiday Season Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and implemented by the STOP-DWI Foundation.
In addition the Foundation has created a new Mobile App – “Have A Plan” that is available as a free download for smart phones to help find safe rides home no matter where you may be celebrating. Many thanks to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee for their support of this new technology. Go to www.stopdwi.org/mobileapp or visit your app store.
While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol- and drug-related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers.
Nationwide 10,076 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2013, 6,515 (65 percent) were drivers with BACs of .08 or higher. During the 2013 holiday enforcement period (Dec. 18-31), there were 1,180 people killed in crashes on our nation’s roads, and almost a third (30 percent) of those fatalities were in drunk-driving crashes. On Christmas Day, 23 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes.
Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving. Have a safe and happy Holiday Season!
