LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Starting today, state and local police will launch their “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign to raise awareness and increase enforcement of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“Make the right choice.”

The statewide effort to increase messaging and enforcement of driving impaired will run through September 15. 2023 marked nearly 9,000 alcohol-involved crashes and more than 2,000 drug-involved crashes. In addition, more than 18% of drinking drivers involved in crashes were aged 24 or younger.

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“Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after you’ve been drinking or taking drugs endangers you, your passengers and everyone else on the road,” Alicia Sledge, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), said in a press release. “We are encouraging people to make the right choice and find a sober ride home if they plan on consuming substances that impair driving abilities.”

Michigan law dictates that it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. However, drivers can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired.

The campaign.

The period between late summer and Labor Day weekend is one of the “deadliest times of the year,” the press release said. There were 44 driver fatalities in car crashes over Labor Day weekends from 2019 to 2023 in Michigan. Roughly 43% of those drivers were impaired due to alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two.

This campaign is funded by federal traffic safety money from the the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.