Bonney Lake Police Announce DUI Emphasis For December

BONNEY LAKE, WA — The Bonney Lake Police Department says it will be cracking down on drunk driving this holiday season, and have announced DUI emphasis patrols for the month of December.

As the police department explains, that means there will be extra officers out on the roads all month— and a zero tolerance policy on impaired driving.

"In Pierce County and Bonney Lake we are striving to make a difference to reduce the number of tragically avoidable collisions involving impaired drivers," the department said. "Our goal is to do all we can to make sure we experience zero traffic related fatality collisions this holiday season so that everybody can make it home safely."

As a reminder, in Washington state impaired driving is defined as:

• Driving under the influence of drugs
• Driving while impaired by alcohol
• Or, driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher.

The police department picked an ideal time for an emphasis, because Christmas and New Year's Eve are some of the most dangerous times of the year for drunk driving. On average, 300 people die each year in the US in drunk driving crashes around New Year's Eve.

According to WSP data, on average, 250 people die every year from crashes linked to impaired driving in Washington. A recent report found our state had the eighth-highest rate of DUI arrests in the nation in 2018, with 430.2 DUI-related arrests per 100,000 people.