Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. - Letter to the editor/commentary

August 7, 2007

Dear Editor:

All too often, we hear of families and entire communities whose lives have been devastated by drunken drivers. Perhaps, you or someone you know has lost a parent, a child, a close friend or a loved one in a terrible traffic crash caused by an alcohol-impaired driver. Although drunken drivers may not intend to harm anyone, their careless disregard for human life frequently results in tragedy. 

Last year, alcohol-related traffic crashes killed 305 people in Wisconsin and injured nearly 6,000. These numbers don’t tell the whole story. We can’t calculate the enormous grief of families who buried a loved one or the persistent pain endured by the injured.

To stop drunken drivers and get them off our roads, hundreds of law enforcement agencies from all over Wisconsin will be out in force from August 17 through the Labor Day weekend as part of a nationwide crackdown called “ Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” 

Police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers will be patrolling for longer hours and in greater numbers to combat drunken driving. And when officers stop drunken drivers, they will arrest them – no exceptions, no warnings and no second chances.

You also can help combat drunken driving by serving as a designated driver and not letting friends drive while impaired. And if you see a drunken driver on the road, call your local law enforcement agency. We need everyone’s help to stop this senseless—and entirely preventable—l oss of life caused by drunken driving.

Frank Busalacchi
Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation