Meridian Police Department Launches ‘Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest’ Crackdown on August 17, 2007

Major Enforcement Effort Seeks to Save Lives

Meridian, MS – Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2005, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. The picture for motorcycle operators is particularly bleak. Forty-one percent of the 1,878 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2005 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.

That is why The Meridian Police Department announced today they will be joining with thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation from August 17 throughout the Labor Day holiday to take part in the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown on impaired driving.

“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive—a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle—if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,” said Asst. Chief Tommy Miller. We will be out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and using undercover officers to get more drunk drivers off the road—and save lives that might otherwise be lost.

“Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Yet we continue to see far too many people suffer debilitating injuries and loss of their loved ones as a result of impaired driving. This careless disregard for human life must stop. To help ensure that happens, Meridian Police Department is dedicated to arresting impaired drivers wherever and whenever we find them,” said Capt. Rick McCary.

“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said Capt. Jeff Lewis. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses.

“So don’t take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you are under arrest.”

The national Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. impaired driving crackdown is a prevention program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

This year’s effort is supported by $11 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that if they are caught driving impaired, they will be arrested.

For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

Rick McCary

Administrative Captain

Meridian Police Department