Crime & Safety

Officials Urge Safe and Sober Driving This Labor Day Weekend

The event is part of the Commonwealth's "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" mobilization which began on Aug. 25 and runs through Labor Day weekend.

 

As part of their continued effort to keep Massachusetts roadways safe, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD), State Law Enforcement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the MA Chiefs of Police Association (MCOPA) gathered together in Devens to raise awareness about the statewide drunk driving crackdown currently underway and the dangers of operating under the influence.

The event is part of the Commonwealth’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization which began on August 25 and runs through Labor Day weekend. This mobilization is made possible with federal highway safety funds administered through EOPSS-HSD and allocated to state and 130 local police departments for additional high-visibility enforcement activities, as well as a coordinated public education campaign.

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“We want you to have fun this Labor Day weekend with all the barbeques, beach outings and road trips, but drive smart and safe. The goal of our traffic safety efforts is to get all Massachusetts drivers to reach their destinations safely,” said Sheila Burgess, director of the Highway Safety Division.   “Think about the decisions you make behind the wheel before you ever get into a car, and how those decisions impact the people with whom you share the road and the people whose job it is to protect us.”

During the summer months, more residents take to the roadways for weekend trips and festivities where alcohol is often involved, and Labor Day is no exception. According to NHTSA, 10,228 people died in 2010 in traffic crashes in which at least one vehicle driver or motorcycle rider had a BAC of .08 or higher.  Traffic enforcement and public education efforts continue to reduce that number. 

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Remember: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

For more information, go to www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.


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