Saturday, March 1, 2008

Burleson Police will be looking for drunk drivers over spring break

By Pegasus News wire

BURLESON — The Burleson Police Department is working overtime to keep roads and highways safe from impaired drivers during spring break.

Officers in Burleson will be out in force Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 23. Funding for the increased patrols has been provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in an effort to decrease the number of driving while intoxicated cases in the Burleson area.

The goals and strategies are to increase effective enforcement and adjudication of traffic safety-related laws in order to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes and, to increase the visibility of public education and information campaigns. There will be zero tolerance for DWIs during this period.

Impaired driving is one of America’s most frequently committed and deadliest crimes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2005, 16,885 people died in alcohol-related highway crashes, of which nearly 13,000 people died in traffic crashes involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or above – the legal limit throughout the United States. Overall, 39 percent of all traffic deaths last year involved alcohol.

High visibility enforcement efforts such as saturation/roving patrols provide law enforcement officials with effective opportunities to deter and remove impaired drivers from roads and highways. These activities enable law enforcement officials to evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment that lead to the arrest of violators.

Well-publicized saturation/roving patrols educate the general driving public that breaking traffic laws is a serious problem and that violators will be punished. Saturation/roving patrols are generally conducted on weekend nights and on holidays at high risk locations where impaired driving crashes have previously occurred. However, saturation/roving patrols can take place anywhere, at any time. When the patrols are visible and well-publicized, they can reduce alcohol-related fatalities by up to 20 percent.

Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired carries many risks. Not only do you risk your life and the lives of others, but also the trauma and financial cost incurred from a crash or arrest for driving while impaired can be significant. Violators face jail time, the loss or suspension of the driver license, increased insurance rates and dozens of other fees. A first time offender in Texas can expect to receive up to six months in jail and up to $2,000 in fines.

There’s more. A person convicted of DWI must pay to have the driver’s license reinstated. Add $3,000 in fines ($1,000, per year, for three years). If the convicted defendant has had a DWI within the past three years, the fine is $1,500, per year, for three years ($4,500). If the defendant’s breath, blood or urine specimen comes back with an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or more, the fine is $2,000, per year, for three years ($6,000) which must be paid before the driver’s license is reinstated.

While the number of impaired driving fatalities has decreased slightly in the recent years, there is still much to be done. According to NHTSA, about three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an impaired driving crash at some point in their lives.

For more information about Burleson’s increased enforcement e-mail Officer M. Owen at mowen@burlesontx.com.

Source: City of Burleson

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