FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2021

CONTACT: Assistant Chief Tomlin

2021 Labor Day  Holiday

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 

August 20, 2021 through September 6, 2021

The Labor Day holiday is a special time for families, friends, and co-workers to come together for celebrations and merrymaking. With the extra partying comes the potential for increased drunk driving, as some partygoers fail to responsibly plan for a sober driver. The Hope Police Department wants to make sure this Labor Day is a safe one, which is why HPD is partnering with law enforcement nationwide for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign, running from August 20, 2021 through September 6, 2021. 

During the 2019 Labor Day holiday there were 451 crash fatalities nationwide, forty-five percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking. More than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (24%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC).

Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the
Labor Day holiday period in 2019, 46% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or
higher. 

Assistant Chief Kim Tomlin emphasized the preventable nature of drunk driving: “All it takes is a little planning ahead. Designate a sober driver or call a cab. But whatever you do, don’t drink and drive.” she added.In addition to injuries or fatalities from a crash, drunk drivers run the risk of jail time, loss of driver license, installation of ignition interlocks on their vehicles and court ordered community service. The financial impact is also considerable, including higher vehicle insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects.