Local law enforcement agencies to join in Labor Day DWI crackdown

Hot Springs police and Garland County sheriff’s deputies will participate in the National DWI Mobilization which begins Friday and continues through Labor Day on Sept. 3.

“We will be conducting saturation patrols during this time frame throughout Garland County with the sole purpose of arresting impaired drivers,” Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick said in a release.

“Our goal is to keep intoxicated people off the roads of Garland County during this holiday season through increased patrols,” he said.

“We are committed to the safety of the citizens of Garland County, and when it comes to impaired driving we have a zero-tolerance policy,” Garland County Under Sheriff Jason Lawrence added.

“If you drive while intoxicated in Garland County we will find you, and we will arrest you.”

In 2016, 9 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the day were drunk, compared to 30 percent at night, and almost twice as many alcohol-related traffic fatalities occurred during the weekends compared to weekdays, HSPD Cpl. Joey Williams, the department’s public information officer, said in a release.

“Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes — that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016. Drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year,” he said.

Williams noted the mobilization will involve increased patrols and extra manpower by police during the holiday period.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends the following steps to prevent drunken driving:

• “If you will be drinking, plan on not driving. Plan your safe ride home before you start the party” and designate a sober driver ahead of time.

• Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member or use public transportation. “Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app which helps you identify your location and call a taxi or friend to pick you up.”

• “If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.” Take their keys and help them arrange a sober ride home.

• “If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement. Your actions could help save someone’s life.”