Nationally, during the 2017 July 4th holiday period (the most recent statistics available), 601 people died in motor vehicle crashes, an average of 134 per day. During that same time there were four fatalities on Iowa roads. That is nothing to celebrate.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 60 percent of those who died in alcohol-related crashes were in vehicles involving a driver with a driver with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 or higher, almost twice the legal limit of .08.
Law enforcement in Greene County and across Iowa will participate in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign July 3-7.
In an effort to combat drunk driving, officers will exhibit zero tolerance for impaired drivers.
Besides the possibility of serious injury and death to the impaired driver, he or she is endangering the lives of anyone else in their vehicle, or anyone they may encounter on the road.
There is also a financial aspect of driving impaired. An OWI arrest can cost up to $10,000. Persons can lose their license, their car, and their job. They could also serve jail time.
Jefferson police captain Heath Enns reminds drivers that before they set out to celebrate this holiday weekend, they should have a plan – a designated driver or plans to stay at the celebration location.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau remind Iowans that it is never okay to drink and drive.
