Labor Day weekend is still 2 weeks away, but the latest edition of the national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over anti-drunk driving campaign started Friday, running through Labor Day September 5th.
The Nebraska Dept of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office is again providing grants to the Nebraska State Patrol and more than 40 law enforcement agencies across the state to help cover the costs of putting extra officers on the road for the campaign.
The grant recipients this time include the Chadron and Scottsbluff Police Departments.
Chadron Police Sgt Mark Cloyd says there were 530 traffic deaths over Labor Day weekend two years ago with 46% of them involving drivers who had been drinking. Over a third of those drivers were over the legal limit and 25% of them were almost twice or more above the limit.
Sgt Cloyd says the Chadron Police Department has joined Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over to help remind motorists that drunk driving is not only illegal, it’s a matter of life and death.
Cloyd says Chadron officers are fortunate to live in a community where they work closely with friends and neighbors who know it’s their first priority to keep people safe, adding that the department relies on community members throughout the year to help keep the streets free of drunk drivers.