Police Beef Up DUI Enforcement This Week

From the City of Temple Terrace:

The will join law-enforcement agencies throughout the state this week in beefing up DUI enforcement heading into the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which runs through March 18, is a project of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aimed at removing impaired drivers from the road through a special joint effort of law-enforcement agencies around the country.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays in the nation, but too often it contributes to drinking and driving, police said. Throughout the week, police will be focusing on motorists driving under the influence, failing to buckle up seat belts, speeding and driving recklessly.

Police are urging those who plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to plan ahead, recruit a designated driver, call a taxi or a friend to get you home safely, and to report an impaired driver by dialing *347 on your cell phone.

In 2010, there were nearly 18,000 alcohol-related crashes on Florida's roadways, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.