Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and Sarasota Police Department participating in national initiative to make roads safer
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Sarasota Police Department are reminding the public to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” leading up to Labor Day weekend, in an effort to end drunk driving.
Labor Day typically marks the end of the summer, with picnics, cookouts, and other celebratory plans over the long weekend, a news release points out. “However, the holiday brings with it one of the deadliest times of year for drunk driving-related fatal crashes,” a Sheriff’s Office news release says.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Sarasota Police Department, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are determined to stop impaired drivers by using a high-visibility and highly active national enforcement campaign, the release points out. That campaign began Aug. 21 and will continue through Sept. 7, the release notes. Deputies and police officers will enforce this initiative with zero tolerance in an effort to significantly reduce drunk driving, the release adds.
“We will make no exceptions when it comes to drunk driving,” said Sheriff Tom Knight in the release. “As always, citizens should ensure they have a designated driver or some form of alternative transportation if they plan on consuming alcohol. Drunk driving is something that will never be tolerated in Sarasota County.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2018, a Police Department news release notes. On average, 10,000 people died each year in such incidents from 2014 to 2018 — essentially, that was one person killed in a drunk-driving crash every 50 minutes in 2018, the release adds. “That is the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors,” the release stresses. “This is why the Sarasota Police Department is working with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death.”
The Sheriff’s Office and the Police Department encourage residents to enjoy the end of summer responsibly to reduce traffic crashes and help save lives, the releases add.