Impaired driving—whether due to alcohol, drugs or both—is a year-round danger on our roadways.
However, late summer and the Labor Day holiday period are among the deadliest times of the year for crashes and fatalities involving impaired drivers.
Over the Labor Day holiday weekends from 2019 to 2023, there were a total of 44 driver fatalities in traffic crashes in Michigan. In those crashes, 43.2 percent of the drivers killed were alcohol- and/or drug-impaired, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Throughout 2023, of the 1,021 fatal crashes that occurred in Michigan, 272 (26.6 percent) were alcohol-involved and 230 (22.5 percent) were drug-involved.
During the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign—running from August 15 through September 1—there will be increased enforcement and messaging about the dangers of driving impaired.
During the enforcement period, the Michigan State Police, along with county and municipal police agencies across Michigan, will be encouraging motorists to celebrate the late summer and upcoming holiday weekend with safe-driving decisions.
“Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after you’ve been drinking or taking drugs endangers you, your passengers and everyone else on the road,” said Alicia Sledge, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). “We are encouraging people to make the right choice and find a sober ride home if they plan on consuming substances that impair driving abilities.”
During the enforcement, police officers will be on the lookout for motorists under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although drivers can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired.
To increase awareness and encourage safe and sober driving, the OHSP is funding a statewide media campaign about the dangers of impaired driving.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is supported with federal traffic safety funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation and NHTSA and administered by the OHSP.
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