The Mothers Against Drunk Driving website offers some advice on how our nation can continue to reduce instances of drunk driving, which have been on the decline for years now. The safety organization begins its advice with a plea to support police officers who risk their lives every day in order to keep our roadways safe. In fact, 44 percent of police who die in the line of duty die in car accidents.
MADD says that one of the secrets to reducing incidents of driving under the influence is to have highly visible enforcement. The organization’s dream is to see zero DUI arrests simply because there are zero drunk drivers on the road. Their goal is to have enforcement be a sufficient deterrent so that no one commits the crime in the first place, but if someone does, they will be caught.
MADD also encourages the use of sobriety checkpoints. These have been shown to lower fatalities by 20 percent. Checkpoints are an example of highly visible enforcement as well. They are usually announced before they happen and signs are placed in the road to warn drivers they are approaching such a checkpoint. When carrying out a checkpoint, police employ a regimented plan for pulling over vehicle like every fourth car or some other established pattern.
In addition, MADD supports holiday drunk driving crackdowns that happen at times when there usually is a spike in drunk driving, like on three-day weekends and over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. These DUI crackdowns remind drivers that law enforcement officers are out there looking for people who are drunk behind the wheel.
Sadly, we are still a long way off from eliminating drunk driving completely. If you or a loved one are injured by an intoxicated driver who is violating the law, you may be able to seek financial restitution for your injuries.
Source: MADD, “Support our Heroes,” accessed Jan. 15, 2016