NEWS RELEASE

Drive Hammered-Get Nailed -- Extra DUI Law Enforcement to be Patrolling Statewide August 15 - September 3

August 6, 2007

Washington - Between August 15 and September 3, extra DUI enforcement patrols will be taking place throughout the state to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries caused by impaired drivers. August is one of the deadliest months for traffic fatalities and Labor Day weekend is one of Washington’s deadliest holidays, averaging more than eight deaths each year.

This Drive Hammered—Get Nailed campaign is a joint effort between the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, law enforcement statewide and the Traffic Safety Task Forces.

How many people in Washington died in collisions involving a drinking driver?

During 2006, in Washington, there were 3,350 drinking driver involved crashes, 229 of those were fatal crashes which resulted in 252 deaths.

As of July 1, 2007, some individuals arrested for DUI in Washington State could face felony charges if they have four previous DUI arrests within a 10 year period, which would carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Previously, DUI could only be charged as a misdemeanor, regardless of how many prior DUIs were on a person’s driving record. [RCW 46.615055(13)]


During 2006, there were 42,804 people charged with DUI in Washington. For this and previous years, the statistics are as follows:

Nationally, alcohol driving fatalities are rising. During 2006, 17,941 Americans died in alcohol-related traffic collisions, compared to 15,172 during 2005 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1-43. Forty (40) percent are caused by drinking drivers.

Each year, drunk and drugged driving leads to one death every 33 minutes, one injury every two minutes and1.5 million arrests nationally.

Alcohol impairs driving skills even at low blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels. By .05 BAC the majority of drivers are significantly impaired.

Studies show that a 21-34 year-old driver with a BAC between .05 and.79 (under the per se limit of .08) is four times more likely to die in a crash than a sober driver in the same age group. For a male driver aged 16-20, a BAC between .05 and .079 is fifteen times more likely to die in a crash than a sober driver in the same age group.