Celebrate Safely – Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
By TRAVIS WELSH
The holiday season should be filled with family and friends, not fines and fatalities. The Missoula City Police Department, along with the Montana Department of Transportation and other area law enforcement agencies, encourage everyone to drive sober or find a sober ride.
Increased patrols in the Missoula area will begin during the weeks leading up to Christmas and lasting through the New Year holiday to keep Montana’s roads free of impaired drivers.
“Driving while drunk is deadly and can have serious consequences for everyone involved,” said Sergeant Greg Amundsen. “All of us in law enforcement are committed to keeping Montanans safe, and that means we have a zero-tolerance policy for drunk driving. It is really simple — don’t drink and drive ever.”
Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the U.S. involve drunk drivers1 and Montana’s numbers are not good compared with other states. Montana has one of the highest rates in the nation for alcohol impaired driving crashes in 2018, with over 40% of the traffic fatalities attributed to alcohol-impaired driving.
Consequences of drunk driving include a DUI on your record, a revoked driver’s license, mandatory classes, possible jail time, probation, and up to $10,000 in fines. Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, Uber, or Lyft prior to leaving home so you are prepared.
Designate a sober driver. Ask someone to call you a ride. If you drive impaired, you will be pulled over. Report suspected impaired drivers by dialing 911, and always wear your seat belt, as it continues to be the best defense against impaired drivers.
This is a Vision Zero message from the Montana Department of Transportation. This and other enforcement and educational campaigns are strategies to reach Vision Zero – zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana roadways. For more information about Vision Zero, contact Janet Kenny, Montana Department of Transportation, 406-444-7417 or jkenny@mt.gov.