Temple Terrace Joins Crackdown on Impaired Driving

From the City of Temple Terrace:

If you drink and drive in Temple Terrace—beware.

The is joining law enforcement agencies throughout the nation for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which began Thursday and runs through Sept. 3.

The nationwide impaired-driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement and events, and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb alcohol-impaired driving through the Labor Day holiday weekend.

It is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Despite these laws, in more than 10,000 people died in crashes in 2010 in which a driver or motorcycle rider was impaired.

During the Labor Day weekend in 2010, 147 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drivers or motorcycle riders with BACs of .08 or higher. Of those fatalities, 80 percent occurred from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Among 18- to 34-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the 2010 Labor Day weekend, 54 percent were alcohol-impaired.

“Obviously, we want to remind everyone that it is illegal to drive impaired, and we hope the campaign will remind people that if they plan on drinking, never get behind the wheel,” said Capt. Michael Pridemore of the Temple Terrace Police Department.

For more information, visit the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign headquarters online.