HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — So far this year, 912 people have died on Michigan roads and another 5,161 were seriously injured, according to figures from the Michigan Department of Transportation
Compared to this time last year, that’s 66 fewer fatalities and 447 fewer serious injuries.
Police have been using periodic crackdowns, called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” as a way of reducing traffic deaths and injuries.
The next campaign starts Dec. 13, 2018, and runs through Dec. 31. During the last crackdown, police across Michigan made 6,500 stops.
Allegan County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a drive with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit — and stopped another driver later charged with a felony for possessing methamphetamine.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike VanDenBosch says the biggest difference in policing during “Drive Sober” enforcement efforts is a zero-tolerance approach to drunken and drugged driving.
“Drunk driving isn’t the only risk on the road,” he said. “If drivers are impaired by any substance, alcohol or drugs, they should not get behind the wheel of vehicle. While driving impaired is illegal, period, you should be reminded that if you feel different, you drive different.”
