Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to conduct DUI enforcement effort on St. Patrick’s Day

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The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) will conduct a DUI enforcement effort on St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, 17 March 2010. The DCSO will be joining numerous law enforcement agencies nationwide to protect citizens from the deadly and serious crime of drinking and driving. Funding for the increased DUI enforcement effort is provided through a $1,800.00 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS).

Several Alcohol Related and or Vehicle Crash Statistics:

• In 2001, the Law was changed to lower Blood Alcohol Level to .08 for DUI.
• In 2006, Enhanced Penalties for Repeat DUI Offenders (.15 BAC) were put into law.
• There is on average a motor vehicle accident every 15 minutes in Nebraska.
• In 2008, forty-nine people were injured each day in motor vehicle crashes in Nebraska and one person was killed every 42 hours.
• In 2008, there were 1,908 alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska.
• In 2009, there were 205 fatal vehicle crashes resulting in 223 fatalities.
• In 2009, 35.6% of fatal crashes in Nebraska were alcohol-related.
• In 2009, there were 11,520 DUI convictions in the State of Nebraska.
• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 5 and 34 years of age.

Statistics provided by the Nebraska Department of Highway Safety

Our goal with this selective enforcement is to use saturated patrols on St. Patrick’s Day to seek out suspected drunk drivers, who will then be arrested and taken off the street; thus, creating safer streets for the citizens of Douglas County. Research indicates that the key to deterring impaired driving is high visibility enforcement. Drivers must perceive that the risk of being caught is too high before behavior will change. The efforts of the DCSO and other area agencies serve to remind motorists that drinking and driving is unacceptable and that DUI laws will be enforced.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly and remember:

Don’t Drink and Drive!