LANSING, Mich. — Police in Michigan will be on the lookout for impaired drivers this holiday season.
It's all part of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign that begins on Friday, Dec. 15 and lasts through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
During the campaign, law enforcement around the state will be increasing patrols with zero tolerance for impaired drivers.
"Driving impaired is deadly and illegal. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after you've been drinking or using drugs endangers you, your passengers and everyone else on the road," said Katie Bower, Director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). "The aim of the enforcement campaign is to drastically reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by impaired driving."
Last year in Michigan, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute reported 9,331 alcohol-involved crashes with 322 fatalities, and 2,452 drug-involved crashes with 249 fatalities.
And over the last four years between Christmas and New Year's, 66 people were killed in crashes in Michigan, including 17 killed in alcohol-involved crashes.
It is illegal to drive in Michigan with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, but drivers can still be arrested at any BAC level if an officer thinks they are impaired.
December is recognized as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, which aims to remember the victims of impaired driving and prevent impaired-driving deaths and injuries.
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