Welcome to Skagit County

March 7, 2013

Keep Your Luck and Don't Drive Drunk
DUI Patrols on statewide from March 14-18, 2013

St. Patrick's Day is quickly approaching and with that comes the increased risk of someone driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Skagit County "Target Zero” Traffic Safety Task Force is reminding drivers not to operate a vehicle if they have been drinking alcohol. In Skagit County there will be multi-jurisdictional enforcement patrols out looking for drunk drivers between March 14 and 18 who are partying during the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Participating in these patrols are Skagit County, Mount Vernon, Anacortes, Burlington, Sedro Woolley, Swinomish Tribal Community, and the Washington State Patrol.

Plan ahead before you start drinking. Avoid the potential tragic mistake of driving drunk and placing you, your passengers, and those traveling on our roads in danger,” said Ken Bergsma, Skagit County Target Zero Coordinator. Don't rely on the "luck of the Irish.” Designate a sober driver. Drunk driving is 100% preventable, and the consequences of making a poor decision to drive drunk could result in seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else.

A DUI arrest is not the worst that can happen, you can be charged with vehicular homicide or vehicular assault if someone is killed or seriously injured while you were driving impaired. Last July, the incarceration range for vehicular homicide in Washington State increased from 31 to 41 months to 78 to 102 months for a person with no prior felony or DUI criminal history "zero points”.

Washington State has a plan Target Zero to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries to Zero by the year 2030 through a variety of strategies, including education, engineering, emergency medical services, and enforcement. One person is killed every 53 minutes in an impaired-driving crash in the United States and the majority of these crashes involve drivers who have a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher - nearly twice the per se limit of .08.
In Washington State, the most frequent factor contributing to traffic deaths is still driver impairment. In 2011, traffic crashes killed 454 people on Washington's roadways. Impaired drivers accounted for 43.8 percent of the total (199 deaths).

Nearly one-third of all persons who died in these traffic crashes statewide were between the ages of 16 to 25 according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the Department of Transportation.

Law enforcement encourages all St. Patrick's Day party-goers to make plans to get home safely by adhering to the following:
• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin
• Designate your sober driver well in advance of your party or event
• Know your limits
• Eat plenty of food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• If you are impaired and don't have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home, call a cab, or stay where you are until you are sober.
• Never let friends drive drunk. Arrange a safe way for them to get home.
• Never serve alcohol to an underage person.
• Always buckle up. It's still your best defense against other drunk drivers and in preventing injuries.

If you suspect an impaired driver – call 911. You may be preventing a crash or saving a life.

In honor of all the victims of impaired driving related crashes, please keep our roadways safe, buckle up, pay attention, and please don't drink and drive. Remember one life lost is too many!

For more information, visit the Washington Traffic Safety Commission website, www.wtsc.wa.gov.