Police across the state arrested 349 drunk drivers during the Labor Day Holiday Enforcement Campaign.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown focused on drunk driving and seat belt enforcement starting Aug. 18 and going through the Labor Day Weekend.
According to a press release from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, preliminary reports show there were nine traffic fatalities during the 2016 Labor Day period. Only one of those deaths involved alcohol.
The press release states that this is a significant decrease from the 2015 Labor Day holiday period, when 15 died in traffic crashes, with nearly two-thirds of those involving alcohol.
“Many law enforcement officers spent the holiday weekend away from their families to make our state a safer place” said Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) Director Michael L. Prince. “The preliminary report of a decrease in drunk driving fatalities is a good indication their efforts are having a positive impact.”
Also during the campaign, reports show that officers issued 3,911 seat belt and child restraint citations, and made 141 drug arrests during the roughly three-week long effort.
Of the 349 drunk drivers arrested during the crackdown, 53 of them had a blood alcohol content of .17 or higher.
