MPD participates in state holiday safety initiative
Over the holidays, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program is stepping up its efforts to stop drunk or drugged driving.
“All impaired driving is bad, and it’s dangerous,” said Capt. Matt Solomon, of the Morgantown Police Department. “That’s the bottom line.”
The MPD participates in the governor’s program, which is taking part in the high-visibility national enforcement campaign Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over from Dec. 16 to Jan 1.
In 2018, one person died every 50 minutes in a drunk-driving crash in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those deaths totaled 10,511 and count for about a third of total traffic deaths in the nation. The number of drivers in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana nearly doubled from 2017-18.
Christmas and New Year’s Day were the deadliest holiday period, according to the NHTSA.
“During the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods in 2018 alone, we saw more drunk-driving-related fatalities — 285 nationwide — than during any other holiday period that year,” said Bob Tipton, GHSP director.
These days, there are many options to get home without driving after drinking — Uber, Lyft, a taxi service or even sleeping where you are.
“So, there’s really no excuse,” Solomon said.
A first-time DUI can cost as much as $25,000 when things are all said and done. From towing to attorney fees to court costs, fines, probation costs, drug screening costs and more. If you don’t lose your driver’s license, an ignition interlock, known as a “blow-and-go,” can cost $500-$1,500 if you want to continue driving.
“If you’re thinking it’s not dangerous, and I can’t convince you that it is dangerous, it’s expensive,” Solomon said.
And if you think you’re on the edge, “buzzed, not drunk,” think again.
“If you’re buzzed, you’re drunk,” Solomon said. “That’s what buzzed is.”
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