Law enforcement officers from 102 police departments, sheriff offices and Michigan State Police (MSP) posts recently increased patrols across the state during the end-of-summer Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign that ran from August 16 to September 6. That’s according to the Michigan State Police and the Office of Highway Safety Planning.
Preliminary reports indicate officers made 10,370 traffic stops and arrested 200 impaired drivers, including 166 for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) and 34 for Operating Under the Influence of Drugs. The stops also resulted in 370 seat belt citations; 35 child restraint violations (age 7 and below); 2,417 speeding citations; 846 other moving violations; and 1,122 other non-moving violations, as well as 807 misdemeanor arrests and 167 felony arrests.
“Motorists were asked to make responsible decisions as they celebrated the end of summer and the Labor Day holiday weekend,” said Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). “If you are impaired by any substance you shouldn’t drive, which puts yourself and others at risk. There are no excuses.”
In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Michigan’s drunk driving law contains a zero-tolerance provision for drivers with certain illegal drugs in their system. The same penalties for drunk driving also apply to those convicted under the zero-tolerance drug provision.
During the enforcement campaign, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office reported an OWI arrest of a female driver whose arrest included four child-endangerment charges since her four children were also in the vehicle. Officers also stopped numerous speeding drivers, including one for traveling 105 mph in a 55-mph zone.
In an incident in Macomb County, an OWI arrest included a drunk driver who hit a house and fled, then struck a parked car and fled again before driving into a pole.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is supported with federal traffic safety funds and is coordinated by the OHSP.
