By Tim Schmidt Record Managing Editor Local police have a strong message for people who will be driving drunk over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Get caught and you will go to jail. The Truesdale and Marthasville police departments are participating in a nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The crackdown will target drunk drivers and will include high-visibility enforcement throughout both cities over the holiday. “We want to remind everyone that getting behind the wheel drunk is a terrible idea,” Truesdale Police Chief Andy Huston said. “Unfortunately, not only does drinking impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely, it also impairs your judgement and good sense about whether you can, should drive. “If you have any doubt about your ability, do not get behind the wheel. If you choose to drive impaired, you will be arrested. No warnings, no excuses.” Statewide, 243 DWI arrests were made for drunk driving during last year’s holiday weekend. Marthasville Police Chief Eugene Jenkins said about one-third of all motor vehicle traffic deaths involve one or more impaired drivers. Last year, 223 people were killed and 692 seriously injured on Missouri’s roadways in accidents that involved at least one substance-impaired driver, he added. Prevention is the key. Both Huston and Jenkins said people need to designate a sober driver, or find other transportation if they have consumed too much alcohol. They also advise others to contact law enforcement if they see a drunk driver on the road. A drunk driving arrest leads to a wide range of negative consequences, Huston noted. He said offenders face jail time, loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates and the potential loss of a job. Drunk drivers can also face personal embarrassment when family and friends find out. Both police chiefs said that participating in the campaign is not about writing tickets. Rather, it’s their intent to increase awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. “Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign reduces drunk driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent,” Jenkins said. “By joining this nationwide effort, we will make Marthasville roadway safer for everyone throughout the holiday.”
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”
