The Kent Police and other South County police agencies will hit the streets with extra patrols over the next three weeks to crack down on drunk drivers.
The Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign runs from Aug. 14 to Sept. 7, according to a media release from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
The participating agencies besides Kent include Algona, Auburn, Black Diamond, Burien, Des Moines, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Maple Valley, Newcastle, Normandy Park, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, and Snoqualmie police departments as well as the Washington State Patrol.
Drivers who become impaired by the use of illegal, prescription, and even over-the-counter drugs also can be arrested for driving under the influence.
According to campaign organizers, myths about impaired driving include:
• FALSE: You can sober up quickly by drinking coffee, taking a cold shower or consuming an energy drink. TRUTH: Only time will sober you up. It typically takes about one hour for each drink that has been consumed.
• FALSE: It’s OK to drive impaired if you are only going a short distance. TRUTH: It is never safe to drive under the influence.
• FALSE: My doctor wouldn’t have prescribed the medicine if it wasn’t safe to drive while taking it. TRUTH: Prescription medications can impair you. If the bottle indicates that it is not safe to operate heavy machinery, you should not drive after taking that medication.
• FALSE: I can’t be arrested for DUI if I am under a 0.08 blood alcohol content level. TRUTH: You can be arrested for DUI if your ability to drive is affected by any substance, regardless of your blood alcohol content.
Impaired driving is the leading cause of traffic deaths in Washington. Last year, impaired drivers contributed to the deaths of nearly half of the 522 people who died on Washington’s roadways, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The 233 impaired driver-involved deaths in 2008 represent a decrease of 40 fatalities compared to the previous five-year average.
Nationally, there were almost 13,000 people killed by impaired drivers during 2007. Those preventable deaths represent an average of one person being killed every 40 minutes in the United States.
For more information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
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