Kent Police and other law enforcement agencies across the state will crackdown on drunk drivers with extra patrols from Aug. 12 to Sept. 6.
The Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign will rank as the largest DUI enforcement campaign with 178 agencies participating throughout the state, according to a Washington Traffic Safety Commission media release.
The participating agencies in the Seattle area include Algona, Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall-Carnation, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Port of Seattle, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Tukwila and Woodinville Police Departments, and the Washington State Patrol.
Washington experiences the greatest number of alcohol or drug impaired driver-involved traffic deaths from July through September. Thirty-one percent of the total impaired driving deaths occurred during the summer months between 2000 and 2009.
Labor Day weekend is one of the state’s deadliest holidays, averaging more than seven deaths each year. Labor Day is Sept. 6.
Last year, impaired drivers contributed to more than half of the 491 people who died on Washington’s roadways. The 264 impaired driver-involved deaths in 2009 represent a decrease of nine fatalities compared to the previous five-year average of 273.
“Impaired driving continues to be the number one factor contributing to traffic deaths both nationally and in Washington, and is therefore the top priority for traffic safety professionals across the country,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “Every life lost at the hands of an impaired driver is preventable which makes each tragic death even more painful to the families and friends who suffer the loss of a loved one.”
For more information, about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
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