MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan, December 13, 2013 – Drunk drivers should beware that law enforcement officials will be stepping up patrols and setting up checkpoints in an effort to get intoxicated drivers off the roads this holiday season.
Everyone knows drinking and driving is wrong, but station residents may want to give the matter even more thought. Starting Dec. 14, 2013, the Provost Marshal’s Office will begin their Safe and Sober Holiday Campaign, a base wide anti-drunk driving law enforcement effort.
The crackdown, which continues through Jan. 2, 2014, will have military police conducting patrols and safety checkpoints throughout the station to look for motorists who are driving while intoxicated.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving via high-visibility law enforcement.
This is a critical law enforcement program that may save lives during the time of year when impaired driving traditionally increases by approximately 10 percent. This initiative brings attention to the serious consequences of drunk driving and the danger those who choose to drink and drive pose to the individuals they share the road with.
Last year, MCAS Iwakuni had eight driving under the influence incidents and there are seven incidents this year. A single DUI incident is one too many. In the United States, during the month of December from the years 2007 through 2011, there were a combined 4,169 people killed in drunk driving accidents.
1st Lt. Partlow, operations officer for the Provost Marshal’s Office, offered the following advice for this holiday season:
•Take mass transit, a taxi, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
•Spend the night where the activity is held.
•If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life.
•Always wear a seat belt when traveling in a vehicle. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
•If you are intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend escort you to your doorstep.
•Be a responsible friend. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.