Police: Drive Sober campaign
There’s no lack of options nowadays for getting a safe ride home after drinking adult beverages.
Berks County law enforcement officials are urging people to use their heads rather than risk getting arrested for DUI or worse — getting in a crash that injures or kills someone.
Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Local law enforcement officials joined those with the North Central Highway Safety Network in a press conference Aug. 20 along Route 61 near Leesport to highlight the latest wave of the federally funded Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which runs through Labor Day.
With the go-kart track of Ozzy’s Family Fun Center as the backdrop, officials stressed that there are many safe and alcoholfree ways to celebrate the holiday.
Northern Berks Regional Police Chief Brian Horner said the Labor Day weekend is a time many people enjoy backyard cookouts and other social gatherings that involve alcohol.
No one is saying they shouldn’t do that, he said, but police are asking those who attend parties to think about how they or their guests will get home safely.
“Be responsible,” Horner said. “We don’t want anyone to be injured or killed by individuals who are under the influence of alcohol.”
Nationally, during the 2017 Labor Day holiday more than one-third of the fatalities in traffic crashes involved a drunken driver. Data for 2018 was unavailable.
It’s not just alcohol, but drug-impaired driving, that puts motorists at risk, District Attorney John T. Adams said. Recent checkpoints have netted more drivers impaired by drugs than alcohol, he said.
“I can tell you from our standpoint in Berks County, we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of drugged driving, and it’s very concerning,” Adams said.
Adams urged those who imbibe to use a designated driver, taxis or ride-hailing services such Uber or Lyft. The court costs alone of getting a DUI run more than $4,000, he said.
Exeter Township police Sgt. David M. Bentz, who serves as Berks DUI enforcement coordinator, said checkpoints will be conducted throughout the high-visibility enforcement.
The checkpoints are just one of the ways police will be cracking down on impaired driving for the next two weeks, he said.
“Don’t forget, our regular patrols throughout the county are also involved in this DUI enforcement,” he said. “Although we may be concentrated on a checkpoint in one location, throughout the county there are officers out looking for DUIs.”