WCSD plans Labor Day traffic enforcement

After a 28 percent spike in alcohol-involved traffic fatalities in 2015, The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsfield Township Police Department, and the University of Michigan Police Department will conduct stepped-up drunk driving enforcement as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

This takes place from August 18 through September 5. Statewide, fifteen people died in 12 traffic crashes during the 2015 Labor Day holiday period, a significant increase from six fatalities during the 2014 Labor Day holiday. Nearly two-thirds of the 2015 Labor Day holiday crashes involved alcohol, according to the Criminal Justice Information Center of the Michigan State Police.

In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Motorists face enhanced penalties if arrested for a first-time drunk driving offense with a .17 BAC or higher.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign will also include stepped up seat belt enforcement. Buckling up is the most effective method of staying safe in the event of crash. According to an observation study, Michigan’s seat belt use rate rose from 92.8 percent in 2015 to 94.5 percent in 2016.

Michigan law requires drivers, front seat passengers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall. Children under 4 years old must be in the back seat. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is coordinated by the Office of Highway Safety Planning and supported by federal traffic safety funds.

Grant-funded impaired driving enforcement is part of Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.