The latest edition of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over anti-drunk driving campaign begins today and runs through New Year’s Day.
The Nebraska Dept of Transportation Highway Safety Office is once again providing grants to the State Patrol and more than 65 local law enforcement agencies, including the Scottsbluff PD, to cover the overtime costs of more officers on the road.
During the Drive Sober crackdown, officers will show zero tolerance for drunk/impaired driving while performing high-visibility patrols throughout Nebraska, monitoring the roads for impaired drivers
Highway Safety Office Director Bill Kovarik says more than 1,500 crashes in Nebraska last year were the result of a drinking driver. Over 6,400 drivers were arrested for DUI with more than 90% convicted.
Kovarik says nationwide, 839 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver in December 2018, with 285 of those deaths coming during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday period.
He urges anyone who’s had even just one alcoholic beverage to get a ride just to be on the safe side, adding that a DUI costs more than you think.