Vance cracking down on drunk drivers through Labor Day

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Gonzales
  • 71st Security Forces Squadron
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Family vacations, boat trips and backyard barbeques are common ways to enjoy the Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, the holiday is also accompanied by an increase in the crime of impaired driving. 

The national alcohol-impaired driving crackdown, "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." is a large-scale law enforcement effort to prevent tragedies in Oklahoma and across the United States. The crackdown kicked off Aug. 21 and continues through Labor Day. 

The Labor Day holiday is traditionally a dangerous time due to impaired drivers. In 2007, there were 519 people killed in traffic crashes over the Labor Day weekend alone. Forty percent of those crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. 

Drunk driving is no accident. It is a serious crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that there were about 1.5 million driving while impaired arrests in 2007 -- an average of 167 drunk drivers arrested per hour. 

That year, 13,000 people were killed in crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. In fact, motor vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death and serious injury for all military personnel. Most of those crashes occur off base. 

Oklahoma and Vance law enforcement will be working diligently to help make the streets and highways safer with intensified enforcement and sobriety checkpoints. 

Remind your friends, family and fellow service members to celebrate wisely this Labor Day by setting a good example with your own behavior -- be a designated driver.

If you will be drinking alcohol, plan ahead. Make arrangements with a designated driver, take public transportation or spend the night where you are. 

Always wear your seat belt. It is your best defense against an impaired driver or other hazards on the road. 

Remember - "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest."