Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

August 15 - September 1

Drunk driving is one of America's deadliest crimes. In 2006, more than 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

The picture for motorcycle riders is particularly bleak. Forty-one percent of the 2,007 motorcycle riders who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2006 had BAC levels of .08 or higher. The additional efforts to protect motorcyclists are particularly needed, as overall fatalities for motorcycle riders have increased dramatically for nine straight years. Earlier this summer, GHSA released a comprehensive report detailing state-by-state efforts to reverse this trend.

All this is why GHSA Members will be joining forces with thousands of law enforcement agencies across the nation from August 15 throughout the Labor Day holiday to take part in the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown on impaired driving.

State-specific crackdown efforts are listed below. Drunk driving laws and additional resources are available on the GHSA Drunk Driving Laws page. For information on the national campaign, visit www.stopimpaireddriving.org.

  • Alaska—The Alaska State Troopers and almost 30% of local police departments will participate in the Labor Day crackdown. The substantial increase in citations and contacts and the enjoyment of officers working a new territory were the results of multi-jurisdictional efforts during the Memorial Day mobilization and will be repeated again during the Labor Day crackdown.

  • Arizona—To launch the 2008 Labor Day DUI crackdown, AZ Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) is holding a press conference at the State Capitol on Aug. 14. Representatives from highway safety, law enforcement and safety partners are participating. The event emphasizes a new DUI/OUI (boating) campaign joint partnership between AZ GOHS and the AZ Game & Fish Department. Ads are being placed on TV and radio in support of the crackdown national buys to remind people that whether they drive a car or boat, officers are working together to remove these dangerous people. Also, Arizona's 17 DUI Task Forces are scheduled to conduct sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols throughout the campaign.

  • Arkansas—The Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office is partnering with the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Arkansas Sheriff's Association to kick off the Labor Day holiday Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest mobilization at a media event in Little Rock. More than 120 municipal law enforcement agencies, 26 county sheriffs departments, the Arkansas Highway Police and the Arkansas State Police will be especially vigilant during this time looking for impaired drivers. The mobilization is being accompanied by approximately $282,000 in paid ads for broadcast and cable television radio and online, with extra added value donated by the media.

  • California—California’s 41 Avoid DUI Taskforces, along with more than 100 individual jurisdictions, are mounting special enforcement mobilizations Aug. 15 through Sept. 1, with extra checkpoints and saturation patrols covering 98 percent of the state’s population.  Each of the 41 separate Avoid regions are also pushing press releases and media events. The California Office of Traffic Safety is using newly released positive DUI fatality figures to help promote the crackdown in a statewide press releases and at media events.

  • Connecticut—Connecticut has 95 individual municipalities/resident trooper towns with DUI enforcement projects. Using Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. funding, 40 DUI checkpoints are planned throughout the upcoming Labor Day enforcement period. In addition to these checkpoints, the law enforcement will be conducting numerous DUI saturation patrols. Five comprehensive public outreach events (on belts, safety seats, drunk driving and motorcycle safety) are also scheduled throughout August.

  • Colorado—The Colorado Department of Transportation and statewide law enforcement agencies are kicking off the national DUI mobilization with a media tour August 12-15. A media event is also being held with Colorado State Parks to promote enforcement on roadways and waterways in Colorado. More than 65 Colorado law enforcement agencies are participating in saturation, increased patrols and multi jurisdictional checkpoints throughout the crackdown period.

  • Delaware—Delaware is conducting nine DUI checkpoints and several saturation patrols during the crackdown. In all, 32 police agencies–most of Delaware's law enforcement community–are participating. The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is increasing its paid public awareness messages, using a combination of billboards, radio (English and Spanish), and print ads, as well as Internet, transit, and indoor advertising. OHS is providing information and materials to the corporate community, and NHTSA-designed posters are being placed in area bars and restaurants. The crackdown runs in conjunction with Delaware's Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign–a six-month long regional sobriety checkpoint initiative aimed at arresting impaired drivers, which continues through New Year's Eve.

  • Florida—Law enforcement agencies in Florida are stepping up enforcement through checkpoints and saturation patrols. Agencies will conduct local press events, capitalizing on the earned media in local markets across the state. MADD representatives are participating in many of these local press events. The Law Enforcement Liaisons (LELs) are conducting area network meetings and distributing public information and education materials to law enforcement agencies. Traffic Safety Office staff and members of the LEL team are working with the Florida Association of Chiefs of Police and the Florida Sheriffs Association to plan the upcoming crackdown.

  • Georgia—The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety's (GOHS) kickoff news conference premieres a new impaired driving educational video. Regional traffic enforcement networks are conducting sobriety checkpoints, concentrated patrols and impaired driving campaign media events at 16 locations to announce the “Operation Zero Tolerance” holiday travel period initiative. During the week leading up to this initiative, Georgia law enforcement will line up at State Welcome Centers to greet motorists as part of the 17th annual Hands Across The Border highway safety awareness campaign. Georgia police join partners from five border states to crack down on impaired drivers and send the message that safe driving doesn't stop at the state line. For more information, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.

  • Hawaii—Hawaii's four county police departments are conducting high visibility enforcement throughout the crackdown. In addition to the national campaign, the Hawaii Department of Transportation has implemented a “52/12” enforcement program by increasing the frequency of sobriety checkpoints to a minimum of 52 sobriety checkpoints per year in each county. Each county police department determines the dates and locations based on their own traffic crash data. Hawaii has also produced TV and radio spots using the new national slogan and is spending approximately $200,000 on a statewide media buy during 2008. These spots will be aired during the national Labor Day crackdown and from Thanksgiving Day weekend through January 2, 2009.

  • Idaho—Thirty-five agencies are signed up to perform overtime emphasis patrols from Aug. 22 through Labor Day weekend. Idaho has produced in-house a PSA video and a radio spot that are airing during the emphasis patrol period. Billboards are up statewide with the Over The Limit, Under Arrest message. There will be live reads at Boise Hawks Baseball games in the stadium as well as over the radio. The Boise Hawks are a farm team for the Chicago Cubs.

  • Illinois—Illinois realizes that its #1 problem with serious traffic injuries and fatalities is impaired driving. In 2006, impaired driving was a contributory cause in 48 percent of all fatalities. This Labor Day weekend, more than $1 million will be used for law enforcement overtime to get drunk drivers off of the road. If you Drink and Drive in Illinois, You Lose.

  • Indiana—On Aug. 13th, the Traffic Safety and Communications divisions of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is hosting a news conference to kick off the statewide crackdown. ICJI has invited the Governor, Indianapolis mayor, Indiana MADD, Indiana SADD, Commission on Latino/Hispanic Affairs, and the Indiana State Department of Health. Indiana’s Law Enforcement Liaison’s (LELs) are requested to host similar events in their respective regions. The kickoff event takes place at a sobriety checkpoint in Indianapolis to give media an opportunity to observe a mock impaired driving detection process. The location is a largely populated Hispanic area, and ICJI is utilizing translators during the event. ICJI’s Communications division is also conducting extensive outreach highlighting the crackdown.

  • Iowa—The Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is holding two events in conjunction with the national crackdown. First, a statewide Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) wave is running Aug. 18 - Aug. 31. Approximately 176 departments will be conducting increased traffic safety enforcement on the state highways. The second event is operation I's (Interstates). Scheduled for August 28, this enforcement event concentrates on speed, impaired driving, aggressive driving and seat belts and includes some nighttime enforcement. The target area is on and around all Iowa Interstate systems. Thirty-five counties and 214 law enforcement departments are being asked to participate in Operation I's.

  • Kansas—The Kansas Bureau of Traffic Safety will kick off the crackdown with a media event on 08/08/08, capitalizing off the ".08" connection to drunk driving. The Bureau plans to stage the media event at a jail and include a tour of the jail, taking the media through the process someone arrested for a DUI goes through. Kansas is spending about $115,000 in paid media, including TV, radio and online ads, including some impaired motorcycle riding ads. The Bureau is also funding overtime enforcement for more than100 local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

  • Kentucky—The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety is holding a press conference Aug. 14 on the front steps of the Capitol to kick off the crackdown. Throughout the campaign, Kentucky will spend more than $200,000 on radio and television advertisement. Twelve public information officers across the state are promoting the campaign as well, with events scheduled throughout the state. Earned media will result from the events scheduled across the state and through the public information officers and local law enforcement.

  • Louisiana—The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is aggressively promoting the national campaign. Law enforcement agencies throughout Louisiana are participating in saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. Overtime funded by the LHSC exceeds $200,000 for the campaign. Paid media is advertising the increased patrols and the legal and financial consequences of driving while impaired and will compliment the enforcement in all seven media markets throughout the state. The marketing outreach will also incorporate an impaired driving prevention message for motorcyclists.

  • Maine—The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety has partnered with more than 55 Maine law enforcement agencies and the Maine State Police to conduct OUI patrols and roadblocks for the entire spring and summer of 2008, including the two weeks of the national Labor Day crackdown campaign. All participating agencies will conduct details or roadblocks during hours determined by them to be most productive for enforcement. Police will be working with their local media outlets to alert the public. A statewide media kickoff event is being planned to correspond with the beginning of the national crackdown.

  • Maryland—Maryland is conducting 11 DUI checkpoints over Labor Day weekend along with several saturation patrols. More than 40 law enforcement agencies are participating in the crackdown. The Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO) is supplementing enforcement efforts with paid media including billboards, Comcast cable buys, radio and Internet. The crackdown coincides with the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign-a regional initiative with the aim of curbing impaired driving through the use of education, enforcement and outreach in highly targeted jurisdictions throughout the state. The Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign lasts through December.

  • Massachusetts—The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division is providing grants to the State Police and more than 240 local and campus police departments to conduct additional saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. Many checkpoints will utilize the State Police's two Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) Mobiles. An Aug. 27 press event will spotlight the extra enforcement, which is being complemented by a statewide public information campaign involving radio and TV ads (in Spanish and English), restroom posters in sports venues, bars, and restaurants, and variable message boards. Banners, literature, and a sample news release are being distributed to help law enforcement conduct local earned media and community outreach. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.

  • Michigan—The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning is coordinating six media events across the state during the week of August 18. The event theme is Michigan's DUI court programs. Speakers include a DUI court graduate, the presiding judge, the county prosecutor and local law enforcement. Michigan's plans to feature the positive impact that the DUI court have had in the life of a drunk driving defendant. Overtime enforcement activity over the two-week crackdown period is being planned by state, local and county law enforcement agencies. Enforcement will be supported by paid media in the state's major media markets.

  • Minnesota—The GOP convention in St. Paul during Labor Day led Minnesota to shift its DWI crackdown to July. The state recruited and created two teams of “Minnesota DWI Enforcer All-Stars," based on the highest tallies of 2007 DWI arrests. This was the main media hook for the kickoff news conference at the Minneapolis Metrodome. The event secured great media coverage, including mention during the Twins pre-game show and a live TV interview with the Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion. Minnesota developed www.minnesotasafeandsober.org, allowing visitors to send an electronic “Designated Driver Gift Certificate”–offering a friend a safe ride for a night out. Minnesota also provided "Over the Limit" window clings and other promotional material to partners and bars across the state.

  • Mississippi—The Mississippi Governors Office of Highway Safety is promoting the national campaign. State, county and local municipal law enforcement agencies are conducting high visibility enforcement efforts statewide. Customized press articles, proclamations and news releases are being distributed to law enforcement agencies. Agencies are also receiving roll call video and presentations to promote a strong DUI enforcement effort. Law Enforcement Liaison network meetings, one in each of the nine highway patrol districts, will be held to promote the campaign, and a statewide press event is scheduled to kick off the media and enforcement efforts.

  • Missouri—More than 150 law enforcement agencies have agreed to participate for Missouri's 2008 impaired driving crackdown–You Drink & Drive. You Lose. A press event is planned for Aug. 7, to be held in central Missouri at a police booking station. Media begins Aug. 11, with a new television spots enforcing the consequences of impaired driving by using a play on words. The spot begin with scenes of a beer mug and shot glass and ends with an impaired driver's police station mug shot. Media kits are being mailed to each media outlet in the state and include magnets with the YDDYL logo and the website www.saveMOlives.com, which contains additional statistics, media and online banner ads..

  • Nebraska-Nebraska is adding 12,000 hours of enforcement, including sobriety check points, saturation patrols, special undeage drinking enforcements and eductional events. A mid-mobilization activity news conference promoting the effort will feature a vehicle in which four family members were killed in a head on crash by a five time convicted drunk driver. Another promotional effort is taking place as the first University of Nebraska's home football game day on August 30, designated as "Highway Safety Day" by the Husker Sports Network. Pre-game activities include a vehicle with an ignition interlock device, Fatal Vision goggle demonstrations, voluntary preliminary breath testing for fans and a Highway Safety booth display.

  • New Hampshire—New Hampshire is conducing statewide DWI Hunter Patrols and Sobriety Checkpoints on Aug. 22-23, involving NH State Police and 59 local and county law enforcement agencies. In addition, state, county and local enforcement agencies are conducting overtime DWI patrols and checkpoints throughout the NH Highway Safety Agency's mobilization period.

  • New Jersey—Local law enforcement agencies and the State Police are conducting saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints Aug. 15 - Sept. 1. This year's crackdown, supported by public awareness activities, focuses on both motor vehicle drivers and motorcyclists. Participating agencies are distributing news releases on their local efforts. A statewide news release, focusing on New Jersey's commitment to combating drunk driving, is being sent to media outlets in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia. The news release lists six DWI checkpoints across the state and encourages media to stop by the for localized stories. Additional information is available at www.njsaferoads.com.

  • New Mexico—Nearly 100 law enforcement agencies across the state will be conducting sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, nighttime seatbelt enforcement, occupant protection enforcement and other activities aimed at reducing vehicle fatalities and alcohol-related fatalities. The crackdown includes press events and paid and earned media in the statewide, Albuquerque and El Paso markets, with the message "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose." As the crackdown kicks off, New Mexico will be completing its second year of the successful 100 Days and Nights of Summer traffic safety campaign, a combined law enforcement effort focusing on DWI, aggressive driving, speeding, occupant protection and other traffic violations with the goal of reducing death and injury on New Mexico's public roadways during high travel months.

  • New York—As part of New York's continuing efforts to combat impaired driving, more than 500 local law enforcement agencies and the State Police are conducting saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints throughout the state from August 15 through September 1, as part of the national Over the Limit. Under Arrest. campaign. The campaign is supported by local STOP-DWI Association public awareness events and a kickoff  press conference held on the State Capitol on or about August 8.

  • North Carolina—The North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program will is kicking off its 2008 Labor Day "Booze It & Lose It" campaign with two media events August 14-15. Coinciding with the beginning of football season, the events are being held at the football stadiums of East Carolina University and Elon University. State and local law enforcement officers are invited to attend in an effort to send a strong message out to the motoring public about the importance of not drinking and driving.

  • North Dakota—North Dakota is conducting heightened overtime DUI enforcement throughout the state during the national crackdown. Law enforcement officials and the North Dakota Safe Communities are collaborating to provide community-based earned media events that will enhance the visibility of the enforcement efforts. Examples of local activities include: press conferences, television/radio talk show interviews and newspaper editorials. In addition, local bars, restaurants, retail establishments and speedways are displaying printed materials.

  • Ohio—Ohio's activities involve more than 900 law enforcement agencies and local safety partners. Media events are being conducted by 30 Safe Community programs and 10 county-wide DUI Tasks Forces. Approximately 25 checkpoints are planned. The crackdown also includes approximately $250,000 in paid media, and Ohio DOT has been asked to post messages on their overhead message boards. A statewide kickoff is being held Aug. 18 in Columbus. Police agencies are encouraged to send people to the event to demonstrate equipment or tools they use to track impaired driving. The state is also holding a pilot Sobriety Checkpoint Roundtable in the Columbus area, inviting members of diverse communities and media outlets to a discussion with members of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office and the local OVI Task Force.

  • Oklahoma—Oklahoma is supporting the crackdown through a concentrated effort involving more than 150 law enforcement agencies, including Highway Patrol, County Sheriff's Office, City Police Departments, Campus Police Departments, Military Police and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies. The combined statewide effort includes paid and earned media as well as potential incentive awards for participating agencies. Agencies may sign-up to participate using the online registration and reporting system on the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office Website at www.ohso.ok.gov.

  • Pennsylvania—More than 300 municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police is conducting DUI enforcement activities across the Commonwealth during the crackdown period. Pennsylvania anticipates that almost 400 sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols will be conducted. The earned media component consists of news releases and other material highlighting the costs of a DUI offense. A paid media effort emphasizes the dangers of underage drinking as well as underage drinking and driving.

  • Rhode Island—The Rhode Island Governor's Office of Highway Safety is holding a press event on Friday, .08.08.08. The media hook is .08. It's the Law Every Day. This event features a display of an RIDOT message board damaged by a motorist who recorded the highest BAC in the history of the State Police. A total of 36 municipal police departments and five State Police Barracks are participating in the increased enforcement. Operation Blue RIPTIDE (Rhode Island Police Teaming for Impaired Driving Enforcement) Posts the Coast coordinates high visibility DUI patrols among several coastal communities and is being publicized through strategically placed state and local message signs. A $160,000 paid media budget supports the crackdown, and outreach plans also include an appearance at the 95.5 WBRU-FM Summer Concert.

  • South Carolina—The Sober or Slammer! campaign combines paid/earned media with enforcement to reduce the number of impaired driving traffic injuries and fatalities. The SC Department of Public Safety's (SCDPS) Office of Highway Safety's $650,000 media effort features30-second TV ads and a radio spot. Digital billboards are also being used and will be updated as the campaign progresses. The Highway Patrol and the State Transport Police are partnering with more than 170 agencies to conduct aggressive DUI enforcement. On Aug. 15, press events are being held in local cemeteries to drive home the message that DUI often results in death. SCDPS is partnering with the SC Department of Transportation to post messages on variable message boards, and law enforcement are encouraged to coordinate their activities near these boards to achieve the greatest results.

  • South Dakota—South Dakota is conducting heightened overtime DUI enforcement throughout the national crackdown. Law enforcement officials and the Department of Public Service public information officer are collaborating to provide community-based earned media events to enhance the visibility of the enforcement efforts. Floor mats with the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. logo are being adhered to the floor in front of coolers at beer and wine points of sale. The state is also putting up billboards advising that a first offense DUI is South Dakota costs $4,000.

  • Tennessee—Throughout the mobilization period, approximately 300 law enforcement agencies across Tennessee are going to be cracking down on drivers choosing to drink and drive. The Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office is using the message "Booze It and Lose It" in outreach and publicity materials. A press conference is planned for August 28. Held in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Safety, Metro Nashville Police Department and MADD, the press conference will take place following the 21st Annual Tennessee Lifesavers Conference Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton Music City Hotel.

  • Texas—The Texas Labor Day campaign includes radio and TV PSAs, billboards, gas pump-toppers, interactive online advertising, and a partnership with the Dallas Cowboys. Earned media and outreach includes distribution of a statewide video package in English and Spanish, a statewide news release (with a campaign description and photo), promotional and education items, On the Road in Texas radio features, Texas Driver Quiz features, campaign Fact Sheets, and updating the TxDOT website. In addition to the year-long enforcement grants, Texas has an additional 34 law enforcement agencies conducting overtime DWI enforcement through impaired driving mobilization grants. Each agency is also doing pre- and post-crackdown media campaigns. An incentive award program is being conducted to recognize 20 agencies that participate in the mobilization.

  • Utah—The Utah Highway Safety Office is planning several media outreach activities to complement the Labor Day crackdown. The primary target audience is 21-34 year-olds who frequents or bars and clubs. The secondary target audience is 19-27 year-old college students and seniors in high school. Both target audiences are skewed toward males. Media campaign activities include outdoor billboard advertising, an online interactive campaign, a radio message, print ads in college papers across the state, and a press conferences on the University of Utah campus, with representatives from other Utah colleges and universities.

  • Vermont—Vermont is marking the nationwide mobilization with local enforcement initiatives and statewide roving task forces. The kickoff press conference is being conducted in Bennington on Bennington Battle Day (August 16), a holiday specific to Vermont and the Civil War, in a restaurant/bar where the owner closed down early on St. Patrick's Day and made sure all his patrons had safe passage home. The enforcement effort is being supported by paid media with a new commercial. The Agency of Transportation and Associated General Contractors of Vermont have been asked to display impaired driving messages on variable message boards.

  • Washington—Washington Traffic Safety Commission is launching a $400,000 campaign to support the national Labor Day crackdown. The campaign includes: a pre-campaign knowledge and awareness survey; highly visible saturation patrols conducted by more than 100 law enforcement agencies; a $200,000 TV media campaign targeting young male drivers; an earned media campaign focusing on local county victims of DUI; and a post-campaign knowledge and awareness survey.

  • West Virginia—The West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Office, along with the West Virginia Commission on Drunk Driving Prevention (CDDP), the West Virginia State Police and local Law Enforcement Partners will be aggressively promoting the national campaign. Law enforcement agencies throughout the state are participating in saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. More than $200,000 in overtime for the campaign is being funded by the Governor's Highway Safety Program and CDDP. An additional $150,000 is financing paid media to advertise the campaign's strong enforcement message in all media markets throughout the state.

  • Wisconsin—More than 200 law enforcement agencies statewide are expected to participate in this year's intensified enforcement crackdown. As part of the kickoff, MADD President Laura Dean-Mooney and other national, state and local officials will hold a town hall meeting in the Madison area on August 14 to develop strategies to combat drunken driving. The crackdown message is appearing in media around the state and being displayed on the scoreboard at Camp Randall stadium during the University of Wisconsin's football game on August 30.

  • Wyoming—Forty-five agencies are using portions of their grant funds to support the crackdown campaignthrough both regular and overtime shifts. The Department of Transportation is spending approximately $40,000 on enforcement, focusing statewide media on television, newspaper and radio. The Department of Health, Substance Abuse Division is using their grant funds to create and run a new DUI television ad on Labor Day. Highway dynamic message signs are also displaying the DUI enforcement message.