Dedham Police Join Intensive Drunk Driving Crackdown

Editor's note: This press release was provided by the on Aug. 19.

The Dedham Police Department announced Friday that it will join nearly 200 other law enforcement agencies statewide in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving from August 19 to September 5, known as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

The problem of impaired driving is a serious one. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows the number of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in Massachusetts fell from 2008 to 2009, but the numbers are still too high. 

In 2009 alone, 108 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to the NHTSA. The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.

The Dedham Police will be aggressively looking for all impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone they find driving while impaired — regardless of age, vehicle type or time of day.

According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, violators often face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or are sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial expenses include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of a current or prospective job.  All told, a first offense can easily cost well over $5,000 as well as personal embarrassment and humiliation.

Funded by EOPSS/HSD through a federal grant, stepped-up law enforcement activities will be conducted in late August and early September. 

For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.