The "Drunk Driving, Over The Limit, Under Arrest" campaign enforced July 1st through the 8th saw many arrests on Michigan's roads.
Police officers made a little under 3,700 traffic stops during the above time frame.
The Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign that ran during the July 4th holiday showed 126 persons arrested for alleged drunk driving. Included in those arrests were 23 persons charged under the state's high blood-alcohol content, (BAC), law.
A BAC level of .17, or higher is intended to subject the defendant to enhanced penalties if convicted. Another name for the penalty enhancement is called the Super Drunk law.
"Talking urinal-deodorizer cakes were distributed to Michigan Licensed Beverage Association members in Wayne County, including Detroit, and other areas as part of the effort," reported myFOXdetrot.com. The talking urinal cakes reminded those taking a bathroom break not to drive by calling a friend, or cab if they were high.
Twenty-six counties participated in the Michigan campaign, a federally funded project.
The arrests in 2012 were actually lower than the previous year, and involved the participation of more counties in 2011.
Drunk driving is a huge problem, and is not going to go away any time soon.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD:
- Almost half of all drivers who were killed in crashes and tested positive for drugs also had alcohol in their system (Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2011). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2011. Volume I: Secondary school students (NIH Publication No. 10-7584). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 734 pp)
- Over 1.41 million drivers were arrested in 2010 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
- Among persons aged 12 or older, males were more likely than females (15.1 vs. 7.9 percent) to drive under the influence of alcohol in the past year (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Driving under the influence of alcohol was associated with age in 2010. The rate was highest among persons aged 21 to 25 (23.4 percent). An estimated 5.8 percent of 16 or 17 year olds and 15.1 percent of 18 to 20 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year. Beyond age 25, these rates showed a general decline with increasing age (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
- Adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010—that is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Despite the reduction in 2012 of Michigan drunk driving arrests during the Drunk Driving, Over The Limit, Under Arrest campaign, driving under the influence of alcohol, and/or drugs is a problem we need to stay abreast of.
Peace...
If you or a loved one needs help with any type of drug abuse/addiction problem, contact these sites depending on where you live. SEMCA (Wayne County residents), CARE (Macomb County residents), PACE (Oakland County residents), Drug Free Detroit (City of Detroit residents). For those residing outside the State of Michigan, contact SAMHSA for assistance. For assistance with medical marijuana issues contact The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification Center, or greentreesdetroit.com, phone number: (313) 967-9999, or (248) 677-2888.
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