MADD EUGENE AFFILIATE OFFICE AND LOCAL ENFORCEMENT LEADERS SAY DON’T DRIVE DRUNK

Oregon Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. Effort
in Full Force This Labor Day, Cracking Down on Drunk Driving

Eugene, OR (August 28, 2008)– Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Eugene Affiliate Office and Oregon law enforcement agencies announced today they will kick off a major drunk driving crackdown on Friday, August 29, as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s national crackdown: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

In Oregon 455 people have died in traffic crashes in 2007. Of those fatalities, 150 people have been killed in alcohol impaired crashes in which the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Motorcyclists account for 16 of the 150 alcohol impaired crash fatalities. Debra Weaver, who lost her nephew Shawn Cummings the eve of Memorial Day weekend, May 27, 2006 when a drunk driver hit and killed him and his girlfriend Tamera Lewallen and their four year old daughter Jillian on Highway I-105, as they traveled to get ice cream, hopes that her story will serve as a reminder of what a terrible and life-altering decision drunk driving is. “We miss them so much; our hearts are aching and our lives are spinning. No one should ever have to go through this.”

Officer Evan Sether, Springfield Police Department’s designated DUII officer, was one of the first officers on scene for the fatal crash involving Debra Weaver's family, “It had such a profound impact on me that it became my primary motivation towards stopping impaired drivers.” Officer Sether will continue his aggressive DUII enforcement working every night over the Labor Day weekend.

Oregon State Police plans to team up with the Lane County Sheriffs office in their saturation patrol efforts over the Labor Day weekend and are planning on using the department airplane over the parts of Saturday during the commute to and from the U of O game. “High visibility enforcement is a proven way to deter drunk drivers” said Lt. Mike Bloom from the Oregon State Police. “We will be out in force this Labor Day weekend using all of the tools and resources available to remind drivers: If you drive drunk, you will be arrested and subjected to the consequences. No exceptions. No excuses.”

For those stopped for drunk driving, the consequences faced do not end with the arrest. A convicted drunk driver can face fines, court and lawyer fees, a suspended license, an impounded car and, in a number of states, a period of time of alcohol ignition interlock use.

Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. combines the mobilization of thousands of law enforcement agencies in all 50 states with an $11 million national advertising campaign. The increased attention produces results - highly publicized, highly visible, and frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-related crashes and fatalities by up to 24 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“If we can prevent even one family from suffering as Debra’s has, we will have made a difference. Aggressive enforcement of drunk driving laws and interlocks for convicted drunk drivers reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by drunk driving,” said Lois Harvick, MADD Eugene Affiliate Executive Director. “Together we can eliminate drunk driving in Oregon.”

MADD supports the Labor Day enforcement crackdown as one of its key initiatives under the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which calls for increased high visibility enforcement, like the crackdowns; alcohol ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers; exploration and development of advanced technologies to one day make it impossible for a vehicle to be driven by someone that is drunk; and grassroots support for all of these efforts. The public is encouraged to report any suspected impaired driver by calling 911 or 1-800-24DRUNK.

Studies show that alcohol ignition interlocks reduce repeat drunk driving by an average of 65 percent. If all states required alcohol ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, we could save up to 4,000 lives a year.

NHTSA’s national crackdown is conducted in partnership with MADD, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD is a 501 (c) (3) charity with 2 million members and supporters nationwide. Founded in 1980, MADD has helped save more than 358,000 lives. For more information, visit www.madd.org. or www.maddeugene.org and www.maddpdx.org