(Source: West Bloomfield Police)

Summer is heating up and so is a statewide drunk driving crackdown. The West Bloomfield Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across the state for a July Fourth Drunk Driving/Over the Limit/Under Arrest crackdown.  Motorists will see increased federally funded patrols between June 28-July 5. Officers will take to the streets working to prevent drunk driving injuries and deaths by arresting impaired drivers. 

Driving drunk is simply not worth the risk. A motorist can be arrested for drunk driving with .08 blood alcohol content or higher. A drunk driving conviction is costly and comes with assorted penalties including incarceration, fines, legal fees, driver responsibility fees, court costs and higher insurance rates. 

In 2011, 319 people died in Michigan as a result of alcohol and/or drug-involved traffic crashes. During last year’s July Fourth holiday period; eight people were killed in traffic crashes in Michigan. Of those, three were alcohol related.  Impaired driving is one of the most often committed crimes.  Every 51 minutes someone in the United States dies in an impaired driving-related crash. 

Celebrate wisely. Designate a sober driver, take a cab, or spend the night. A moment of poor judgment can create a lifetime of regret and pain.