Law enforcement to crack down on impaired driving

The Washington County Sheriff?s Department will join a nationwide campaign to crack down on impaired driving in late August and early September. The effort is known as ?Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over? and will last from Aug. 25 through Sept. 7.

Washington County Deputy Sheriff Jared Schneider said there will probably be more officers on the highway during this campaign. He said there are many tell-tale signs that a driver is impaired.

?We look at whether they?ve crossed the centerline or if they drop off the roadway,? Schneider said.

Schneider said that the prevalence of mobile phones has helped law enforcement track down impaired drivers.

?We get a lot more calls reporting things on the highway than in the past,? he said. ?We probably do get more drunk driving arrests because of those things.?

While mobile phones can facilitate communication between citizens and law enforcement, Schneider said mobile phones can also be a dangerous distraction. Texting while driving is now illegal in Iowa. Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using their mobile phone at all.

According to a press release from the Governor?s Traffic Safety Bureau, impaired driving is a serious problem in the state. It cited data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which showed the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the U.S. fell from 2008 to 2009.

?But the fatality totals are still too high,? the press release said. ?In Iowa during 2009, there were 371 fatalities with 92 resulting from an alcohol-related crash, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.?

Nationwide, nearly 11,000 people died in 2009 in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal blood-alcohol limit, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.

Bureau Chief for the Iowa Governor?s Traffic Safety Bureau Larry Sauer explained the reason for the crackdown.

?All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life,? Sauer said. ?Because we?re committed to ending the carnage, we?re intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Since twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur over the weekend, and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times.?

Schneider said the upcoming campaign is an effort to get drivers to pay attention to their driving over the Labor Day weekend. Schneider said these Special Traffic Enforcement Periods (STEPs) usually occur around holidays when traffic is heavy.

Iowa law enforcement participated in a similar program last year at this time. The press release stated that during last year?s STEP, from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, 35,500 traffic violations were reported by the state?s law enforcement. Seven road fatalities occurred during that time, two of which were alcohol-related.