TAPD to step up the enforcement of DWI laws on July 4

This Fourth of July, as friends and family travel to picnics and barbecues across the country, the Texarkana Ark., Police Department will be out in full force, stopping drunken drivers by aggressively targeting those who put lives in danger.

In 2015, 10,265 people were killed in drunken-driving-related crashes. To put it into perspective, that’s one person killed every 51 minutes. It’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing with no survivors.

As you prepare to drive home from the festivities, keep in mind that even one drink can be one too many. This Fourth of July and every day, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

“This Fourth of July, don’t risk losing your life or your independence by drinking and driving. Help make everyone’s holiday in Texarkana, Arkansas safer by driving sober,” said TAPD Sgt. Les Hunter. Texarkana Ark., Police Department will be participating in the State July 4th DWI Mobilization between June 30 and July 4.

“We will be conducting saturation patrols during this time frame throughout the city of Texarkana Ark.,” Hunter said. “The goal is to keep intoxicated people off the roads of Texarkana, Arkansas during this holiday season through increased patrols.”

For as many good memories as the Fourth of July holiday can provide, it can also create devastating nightmares for families who lose a loved one to drunken driving. During the 2015 Fourth of July holiday period (6 p.m. July 2 to 5:59 a.m. July 6), 92 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 or higher, and 146 people died in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08.

From 2011 to 2015, 39 percent of all traffic fatalities over the Fourth of July period occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that young drivers 18 to 34 years old are especially at risk of driving drunk. Forty-nine percent of these drivers who were killed over the July Fourth period in 2015 were driving drunk with a BAC of .08 or higher. Motorcycle operators are also represented as the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers in fatal crashes. In 2015, more than a third of motorcycle operators in fatal crashes had BACs of .08 or higher.

Not surprisingly, drunken driving is more common at night. Over the July Fourth holiday in 2015, nearly half of the drivers in nighttime fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired, compared with 19 percent of drivers in fatal crashes during the day.

The Texarkana Ark., Police Department recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. If you see a drunken driver on the road, contact the police.

Know a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

Visit the Texarkana Ark., Police Department online at http://www.txkusa.org/arkpolice or on our Facebook page, Texarkana Ark., Police Department.