Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. If fact, during 2004, nearly 13, 000 people were killed in highway crashes involving an impaired driver or motorcycle operator with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. The picture for motorcycle operators is particularly bleak. Forty-one percent of the 1,672 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2004 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.

That is why Southwest Coalition of Safe Communities announced today they will be joining thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation during August and the Labor Day holiday to launch an aggressive new crackdown on impaired drivers called: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive – a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle – if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,” said Sgt. Eldon Mehrer with the North Dakota Highway Patrol. “We will be out in force with high visibility enforcement through out the week. We want everyone to play it safe and always designate a sober driver or find a different way home if they have been out drinking.”

Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Although drunk driving fatalities across the nation slightly declined in 2003 and 2004, alcohol-related fatalities are projected to increase in 2005. Moreover, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people were arrested for driving under the influence during 2004.

“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said Becky Byzewski Safe Communities Coordinator. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses.

“So don’t take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you are under arrest.”

The national Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. impaired driving crackdown is a comprehensive impaired driving prevention program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

This year’s effort is supported by $11 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that if they are caught driving impaired, they will be arrested.