The Racine County Sheriff’s Office has joined law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” holiday campaign from Dec. 13 through New Year’s Day.
Last year in Racine County during this national campaign the Sheriff’s Office added extra hours of coverage and made 22 impaired driving arrests. Of the 22 arrests, four were made on the second day of the campaign. During the campaign deputies made a sixth offense OWI arrest and an eighth offense OWI arrest.
The Sheriff’s Office will again patrol in greater numbers, for longer hours, according to Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. The primary goal, he said, is to enhance public safety and prevent needless tragedies by discouraging people from making the decision to get behind the wheel impaired.
According to information provided by the Sheriff’s Office, every 2.5 hours in Wisconsin someone is injured or killed in an alcohol-related crash.
During 2018 in Wisconsin:
- There were 6,255 alcohol-related crashes that injured 3,292 people and resulted in 160 deaths;
- Nearly 28% of traffic fatalities were alcohol-related; and
- There were 22,294 OWI convictions.
During the holiday season the Sheriff’s Office encourages the use of designated drivers, SafeRide, ride sharing services, or public transit.
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