Tewksbury Police Launch Intensive Crackdown on Impaired Driving

On Friday, August 14, the Tewksbury Police Department joined with 148 other law enforcement agencies statewide in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving running from August 14 to Sept. 7 as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization, funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS-HSD).

In 2013, 10,076 people were killed across the country in drunk-driving crashes, and 118 of those people were killed on Massachusetts roadways. As people celebrate the final days of summer, Labor Day weekend is a dangerous time to be on the roads. Thirty eight percent of national crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend in 2013 involved drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 or higher, amounting to 161 lives lost across the country. There were four fatalities that same weekend in Massachusetts.

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 we’re committed to roadway safety, we are intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Since twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur over 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.

Tewksbury Police Department’s officers will be aggressively looking for all impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone they find driving while impaired — regardless of age, vehicle type or time of day.

Officials say their message is simple and unwavering: “if we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. Even if you beat the odds and manage to walk away from an impaired-driving crash alive, 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 licenses, and are sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. All told, a first offense can easily cost thousands of dollars. Driving impaired is simply not worth all the consequences. Remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.