By Chief Raymond N. Coriz, Jr.
Southern Ute Police Department
As summer winds down, the Southern Ute Police Department is ramping up its enforcement efforts as part of a national crackdown on drunk driving.
This high-visibility campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, is a partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to curb impaired driving and save lives.
Through Labor Day on Sept. 7, law enforcement partners nationwide will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Coupled with checkpoints and increased officers on the road, we aim to drastically reduce the toll of drunk driving. And what a toll it is.
In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed in drunk-driving crashes, almost a third of all traffic deaths. Thirty-eight percent of crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend that year involved drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 or higher. That amounted to 161 lives lost.
And we're not talking about a little bit of alcohol, either. More than a quarter - 27 percent - of the crash fatalities that occurred on Labor Day weekend involved drivers with BACs of .15 or higher, almost twice the illegal limit.
Too many people think their actions don't affect anybody else. They know it's illegal. They know it's wrong. But they do it anyway. They make decisions as if those statistics just don't happen to them.
The reality is, people aren't invincible. Of the 10,076 people who were killed in impaired-driving crashes in 2013, 65 percent were the drunk drivers themselves. Those 6,515 drunk drivers planned on making it to their destinations, but they didn't.
In every state, it's illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher. I want to remind drivers on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation that it's not a recommendation; it's the law. And during the enforcement period ending Sept. 7, there will be a special emphasis on drunk-driving enforcement.
Due to a collaboration and a common zero tolerance stance between the SUPD and Ignacio Police Department, local drivers should expect to see more patrol vehicles, DUI checkpoints, and more messages about drunken driving.
The number of people who are still drinking and driving is unacceptable. We want to increase the awareness for the campaign, and we want the effects to be permanent.
NHTSA data shows that repeat offenders are a dangerous facet of the drunk-driving problem. In the month of August from 2009 to 2013, eight percent of those involved in fatal crashes had already been convicted of at least one drunk-driving offense.
Drunk driving can be prevented. All it takes is a little planning ahead. Designate a sober driver or call a cab. Whatever you do, don't drink and drive.
A new NHTSA mobile app is called Safer Ride. It's free from iTunes and Google Play. It can help users call a taxi or a friend for a ride home. The app can even identify your location so you can be picked up.
This August and year-round, remember there is no excuse for drunk driving.
If you choose to break the law, the Southern Ute Police Department will see you before you see them.
