If you’ve ever wondered about the effectiveness of the occasional Driver Sober of Get Pulled Over enforcement periods staged around Michigan’s Great Southwest, consider the numbers racked up in the recent round of end of summer enforcement efforts to reduce injuries and fatalities:
- 9,105 traffic stops took place from August 14th through the Labor Day weekend to September 2nd…
- 209 drunk drivers were taken into custody…
- 1,159 speeding citations were issued to lead-footed drivers…
- 35 child restraint citations were issued to those not properly securing children in the vehicle…
- 116 felony arrests were made on a variety of charges…
Law enforcement officers from 93 police departments, sheriff offices, and Michigan State Police posts increased their patrols across the state during the end-of-summer Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign.
The numbers cited in the State Police report are preliminary figures registered during the enforcement period.
Michael Prince is Director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. He says, “Drivers were asked to make responsible decisions as they celebrated the end of summer and the Labor Day holiday weekend,” and adds, “If you are impaired by any substance you shouldn’t drive. There are no excuses.”
In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Michigan’s drunk driving law contains a zero-tolerance provision for drivers with certain illegal drugs in their system. The same penalties for drunk driving also apply to those convicted under the zero-tolerance drug provision.
During the last Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign, a trooper from the Miichigan State Police Rockford Post stopped a vehicle for traveling 111 mph in a 55 mph zone. The driver had a graduated driver’s license and three unrelated passengers in the car, which is a violation of the state’s graduated driver’s license program for new drivers.
In another incident, a trooper from the Michigan State Police Niles Post pulled over a driver for suspected impaired driving. The stop resulted in numerous charges including delivery and possession of a controlled substance, providing false identification and a charge of operating while intoxicated.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign was supported with federal traffic safety funds coordinated by the Office of Highway Safety Planning.
