This report is many months old but is included as a warning for drivers this weekend. This weekend is Super Bowl weekend and there will be emphasis patrols (more officers who are specifically looking for drunk drivers) in Skagit County, Snohomish County, King County and Island County.
Skagit County, WA. Law enforcement throughout Skagit County will be on a mission to remove impaired drivers from the roadways between August 15 and September 1. Participating in this summer’s Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign are the Burlington and Swinomish Police Departments, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Although this is a special two week emphasis, extra DUI patrols have been taking place statewide since February 15, 2008, as part of a program called X52: Extra patrols, every week.
In Skagit County, with these additional DUI patrols, law enforcement stopped 490 motorists, and issued 146 citations, including arresting five DUIs. They also delivered 25 speeding citations, apprehended eight misdemeanor warrants and wrote many other infractions.
In Washington State, the number one factor contributing to traffic deaths is driver impairment. During 2007, traffic crashes killed 568 people on Washington’s roadways. Impaired driver-involved fatalities accounted for approximately 46 percent of the total deaths (263).
“Drunk or drugged driving remains the leading cause of death in traffic crashes. These preventable crashes can be eliminated if everyone works to become a part of the solution,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “As one who has knocked on doors at 3 am to deliver the worst news possible to a loved one, I strongly urge all Washington drivers to help make 2008 a safer year than we had during 2007.”
This Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign is important because during the summer months - July through September - Washington experiences the greatest concentration of drinking (or drugged) driver-involved traffic deaths (32 percent of the total impaired driver deaths occurred during the summer months between 1997-2006).
Another factor is the time of day that traffic deaths involving impaired drivers occur. In 2006, during the nighttime, drivers involved in deadly crashes were four times more likely to be drunk than during the day (36 percent versus nine percent). More than two-thirds (70%) of impaired driver-involved deaths occur during nighttime hours (6 pm to 6 am) in Washington.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission funds grants for X52, which is a part of Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, also known as Target Zero. The goal of Target Zero is to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment