The 2022 impaired driving national enforcement mobilization, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” went into effect across the country on Aug. 17 and runs through Sept. 5, 2022. One of the deadliest and most often committed, yet preventable, of crimes (impaired driving), has become a serious safety epidemic in our country.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign focuses on the goal to stop drunk drivers. This campaign highlights a constant police presence searching for drunk drivers as a way of deterring people from drinking and driving.

One person is killed about every 45 minutes in a drunk-driving crash, totaling more than 11,000 lives lost each year. These are too many lives that were lost which could have been prevented.

During the Labor Day holiday period, we typically see an increase in drunk driving deaths. It is important to remember that even one drink before driving can put you and others in danger, because alcohol impairs thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. To help keep yourself and others safe have a plan whether you’re driving, riding or hosting. Make sure that we all work together to keep each other safe.

“We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking, we need commitment from our community members that they’ll keep the streets free of drunk drivers so that everyone can travel safely” said Tia Toner with the Shelby County Safe Communities Coalition.

The Shelby County Safe Communities Coalition will be at the Downtown Sidney Farmers market Saturday, Aug. 20, 8 a.m.-noon, to promote its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

For more information on impaired driving, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.