Drive sober or get pulled over.
That’s the message Boynton Beach police are sending this holiday season as part of a special year-end enforcement mobilization.
Beginning tomorrow and continuing into the New Year, officers will be watching closely for anyone who is driving impaired.
“We want to keep our roads safe for holiday travelers, so we will have zero tolerance for drunk driving,” Traffic Officer Dennis Castro said. “If you choose to drive impaired, not only will you risk your safety, and that of others, but you will also face the legal consequences.”
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that any decision to drive while impaired can have serious and even deadly consequences. Nationally in 2015, 35,092 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, and 29 percent (10,265) died in crashes where the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the limit of .08.
From 2011-2015, 14,034 people lost their lives in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the month of December, and twenty-eight percent (3,983) died in a crash that involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher.
Follow these trips to stay safe on the road this holiday season:
- Plan ahead – if you’re going to drink, designate a sober driver ahead of time.
- If you become intoxicated, call a taxi, phone a sober friend or try NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app.
- If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Take their keys, take them home, or help them arrange a safe way home.
- If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement. Your actions could help save someone’s life.
