Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

The will join nearly 200 other law enforcement agencies statewide in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving from Aug. 19 to Sept. 5, known as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

The problem of impaired driving is a serious one. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Massachusetts fell from 2008 to 2009. But the numbers are still too high. 

In 2009 alone, 108 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.

All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life. Because the Grafton Police Department is committed to keeping the Commonwealth’s roadways safe, we are intensifying enforcement during the crackdown.  

Since twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur on the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads.

The Grafton Police Department will be aggressively looking for all impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone found driving while impaired,-regardless of age, vehicle type or time of day.

The police department’s message is simple and unwavering: If we find you operating while impaired, you will be arrested, no exceptions. Even if you beat the odds and manage to walk away from an impaired-driving crash, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can still destroy your life.

According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, violators often face jail time, loss of their driver’s license or are sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates also go up. Other financial expenses include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of a current or prospective job. 

A first offense can easily cost well over $5,000, as well as personal embarrassment and humiliation. Driving impaired is simply not worth all the consequences. So don’t take the chance.  

Remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. 

For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.mass.gov/highwaysafety. 

Normand A. Crepeau Jr. is Grafton's Chief of Police.