Police agencies across Michigan are increasing impaired driving enforcement ahead of Labor Day.
Police said the Labor Day holiday weekend is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of deaths caused by impaired driving.
Michigan State Police and county and municipal police agencies across Michigan will be increasing enforcement and sharing messaging about the dangers of driving impaired. The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign period runs from Aug. 10 through Sept. 4.
In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Police can arrest any driver at any BAC level if the officer believes they are impaired.
“The aim of the enforcement campaign is to drastically reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by impaired driving,” said Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). “This should be a time for friends and family to enjoy the final days of summer. Driving impaired is a choice. We are encouraging people to make the right choice and find a sober ride home if they plan on using an impairing substance.”
Over the Labor Day holiday weekend periods from 2018 to 2022, there were 40 drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in Michigan, according to police. One-third of the drivers killed in those crashes were impaired by alcohol.
Police said data from the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center shows that there were 9,331 alcohol-involved crashes (with 322 fatalities) and 2,452 drug-involved crashes (with 249 fatalities) in 2022.
According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, about 40% of fatalities on Michigan roadways in 2022 involved alcohol and/or drugs. In all traffic crashes over the Labor Day holiday period, 11 people died. One person was killed in an alcohol-involved crash every 27 hours.