By Katherine Conlee, SBC Intern
During the Christmas and New Year’s holiday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working alongside St. Clair County law enforcement to help the community decrease the number of impaired drivers on the roads.
The effort is being coordinated by the Office of Highway and Safety Patrol (OHSP) and will take place from today (Friday) through January 1st, 2023. During this time, all local officers will be on the lookout for drivers believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King says the holiday season is a busy time for those at the wheel, and it can be just as dangerous. He adds that over the Christmas and New Year’s periods from 2017 to 2021 alone, 78 drivers were killed as a direct result of motor vehicle traffic crashes in Michigan. In those crashes, 27 of the drivers were also alcohol-impaired. Though it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, if an officer has reason to suspect that a motorist is impaired, they may be arrested.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is supported with federal and traffic safety funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation.
