Ending Drunken Driving

Ending Drunken Driving
Gardner to increase police patrols
Damien Fisher
News Staff Writer

GARDNER  Drunken drivers beware, the Gardner Police Department is teaming up with the Mass­achusetts State Police to keep the roads safe.

The city’s police are taking part in the end-of-summer Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over program along with the state police and 191 other law enforcement agencies. The 25-day campaign is being funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division.

The goal of the effort is to save lives, said Gardner Police Chief Neil Erickson.

“Too many people are still making the wrong decision when it comes to drinking and then getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle,” Mr. Erickson said. “The statistics don’t lie: drinking and driving causes senseless deaths each and every year – deaths that are always preventable. Make the right call if you are impaired: don’t drink and drive.”

The Gardner effort will starts on Aug. 14 and run through Sept. 7.

In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed across the country in drunken-driving crashes, and 118 of those people were killed on Massachusetts roadways. As people celebrate the final days of summer, Labor Day weekend is a dangerous time to be on the roads. Thirty-eight percent of national crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend in 2013 involved drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 or higher, amounting to 161 lives lost across the country.

There were four fatalities during the 2013 Labor Day weekend in Massachusetts.

In every state, it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Lt. Richard Braks said that Gardner drivers need to remember that driving sober is not just a recommendation.

“It’s the law,” Mr. Braks said. Local drivers should expect to see more patrol vehicles, drunken-driving checkpoints, and increased messaging about this reckless crime.

Mr. Erickson said the police aim to prevent any more tragedies that stem from drunken driving.

“All it takes is a little planning ahead. Designate a sober driver or call a cab. Don’t drink and drive,” he said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s SaferRide mobile app — free from the iTunes store and Google Play — can identify a user’s location and help call a friend for a ride. The app also compiles nearby taxi company phone numbers and reviews and makes it simple to call for a cab.

Mr. Braks and Mr. Erickson also said motorists need to wear a safety belt when driving.

“It is your best defense against drunk and aggressive drivers and your own mistakes,” Mr. Braks said.