“We have a safe communities grant here in Clark County and we partnered with law enforcement agencies, AAA and other organizations around the community for traffic safety and awareness. Labor Day is one of those big holidays where there is potential for drinking and driving. With the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ national campaign, there’s more troopers out and police presences on the roads just to keep everyone safe,” said Gracie Hemphill, CCCHD health planning supervisor.
Clark County law enforcement will be participating in the campaign, which runs from Aug. 18 through Sept. 6, with officers working together during the holiday weekend to help take drunk drivers off the roads.
“We want everyone to be careful on the roadways, get to where they’re going safely. We’re working in conjunction with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department and Clark County Combined Health District to try to push ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.’ If folks plan ahead a little bit and get a designated driver or stay home or just not operate a motor vehicle once they’ve been drinking, it’ll save lives,” said Sgt. Rod Murphy with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The event at Young’s Jersey Dairy included an impaired simulator for community members to interact with and a press conference to answer questions and provide information about the consequences of drunk driving.
“We have some goggles and a driving simulator that simulates what it is like to drink and drive to show people because some people think, ‘I’ve only had one, I can do it, I’m safe,’ so we have different level of googles to really show the impaired and the impact even just one drink can have when you’re driving,” Hemphill said.
According to the NHTSA, impaired driving remains one of the deadliest crimes. NHTSA reports that 10,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2019 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. During the 2019 Labor Day holiday period from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, there were 451 crash fatalities nationwide, with 45% involving drivers who had been drinking.
“It’s just awareness that we want to remind people that drunk driving, actually any kind of impartment, is not appropriate for being out on the road,” said Kara Hitchens, AAA senior specialist. “Law enforcement is going to be out in full force between now and Labor Day. ... If you’re caught impaired, you’re going to get pulled over and you’re going to have to face the consequences. Impaired driving is one of the simplest things that can be avoided. It’s your choice that you make to do that so it’s best to make the choice not to drive impaired.”
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