Utah Department of Public Safety

Labor Day DUI Enforcement Campaign – Choose Your Ride

For Immediate Release

DUI enforcement increases statewide three weeks before Labor Day

DPS hosts digital campaign reminding Utahns to always choose the smart and safe ride

SALT LAKE CITY (August 16, 2018) – Starting tomorrow, law enforcement agencies throughout Utah will be participating in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown on impaired drivers. Utahns can expect to see an increase in DUI enforcement from August 17 through September 3. During this time 250 extra DUI shifts are being worked by 34 different Utah law enforcement agencies. Media interested in scheduling a ride along please contact Sgt. Street at 801-828-7473.

In conjunction with increased DUI enforcement, the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) reminds Utahns to choose a safe and sober ride home utilizing a digital “Choose to drink? Choose your ride” campaign. This educational campaign reminds Utahns to choose safe and sober modes of travel when impaired.

         

*Download the digital campaign assets here

The increased enforcement and educational campaign is strategically planned to coincide with the national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown, Labor Day and the end of summer. Over the next three weeks Utahns will likely be soaking up the last of August attending special events or simply enjoying a nice dinner downtown. The digital “Choose to Drink? Choose your Ride” campaign allows DPS to geo target individuals attending concerts, restaurants, bars and other events with the reminder to choose a safe ride home.

Special events specifically targeted by the digital “Choose to Drink? Choose your Ride” campaign include: the start of the college football season including a Utes home game, outdoor concerts in Salt Lake and Ogden, a rave at Salt Air, Oktoberfest and Utah Beer Festival to name a few. Though the events will be on different days and at different locations the message is the same: Choose to drink? Choose your ride.

The tragic consequences of choosing to drink and drive is all too evident. Last weekend UHP responded to a crash in Davis County. The vehicle’s passenger was killed and the vehicle’s driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Choices made behind the wheel impact everyone on the road.

Drunk driving crashes are 100 percent preventable if individuals act responsibly. The responsible choice is to plan for a safe and sober ride home. Utahns can designate a sober driver, call a cab or a sober friend, or get a rideshare. It’s never okay to drink and drive.

In 2017, there were 10,766 arrests for DUI in Utah, that’s an average of 29.5 arrests per day. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) estimates that the average drunk driver will risk driving impaired more than 80 times before his/her first arrest. On average in Utah, 33 people die each year due to an individual’s choice to drive impaired.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sgt. Nick Street

Utah Highway Patrol PIO

nstreet@utah.gov

801.828.7473