Sobering realities justify end-of-summer OVI blitz

For those who think that aggressive anti-drunken driving campaigns such as Mahoning County’s current Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over have outlived their usefulness, think again.

Yes, drunken-driving deaths across the United States have been cut in half since 1980, that pivotal year when Mothers Against Drunk Driving formed to launch its successful mix of consumer awareness and political action to lessen the carnage caused by careless individuals who feel entitled to navigate a motor vehicle buzzed out of their minds.

But no, despite the progress, the scourge of drunken driving has not been sufficiently curbed and remains high atop the list of most-menacing road hazards threatening the health, safety and lives of motorists and their passengers. For any doubting Thomases out there, consider these fresh and sobering statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

Every 51 minutes, an American is killed in a drunken-driving traffic accident, and every two minutes, a person is injured such a crash.

In 2013, 10,076 people were killed on U.S. highways and byways in alcohol-impaired crashes, representing about one-third of all traffic fatalities.

The average drunken driver has driven alcohol-impaired 80 times before his or her first arrest, and almost 30 million Americans admit to having driven drunk over the past year.

Clearly, the costs of driving drunk remain staggering. Financially, the NHTSA estimates that operating a vehicle impaired costs the U.S. economy $199 billion per year or about $800 for every man, woman and child in the country. The cost in the upheaval, shock and grief to families and loved ones is incalculable.

Consequently, the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which began this week and runs through Labor Day, stands as one vital and necessary tool to combat OVI. If it succeeds in preventing one death or one injury from drunken driving, it will be well worth its associated costs.

The campaign, organized by the Mahoning County Operating a Vehicle Impaired Task Force, has targeted the two weeks leading up the summer-ending Labor Day holiday because these weeks have long been tied to increased driving and heightened alcohol consumption. Forty-eight percent of all Labor Day weekend crash fatalities in 2013 involved alcohol-impaired driving, NHTSA reports.

Throughout the campaign, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, police and deputy sheriffs around the county will conduct high-visibility checkpoints (shown to reduce alcohol-related crashes by 9 percent), saturation patrols and other heightened enforcement tactics. The task force commendably also has partnered with about 30 bars to educate staff on how to be responsible servers – and withholders – of adult beverages.

ROLE OF LAWMAKERS, PUBLIC

As such, the campaign deserves the full-throttle support of all Valley motorists. But the task force alone cannot maximize success in minimizing drunken driving. Our public servants must do their part as well. For example, state legislators in Columbus should reconsider mandating ignition interlocks for all convicted drunken drivers. When installed, the Breathalyzers have been credited with a 70 percent reduction in DUI arrests. Such legislation, dubbed Annie’s Law after a victim of a drunken driver, was on the verge of passage in the 2014 Ohio General Assembly before special interests callously killed it. In addition, light jail sentences, heavy plea dealing and nearly nonexistent lifetime drivers’ license suspensions combine to rank Ohio as the 10th most-lenient state in the union toward drunken drivers.

In addition, personal responsibility must take the wheel. That means before any alcohol is consumed, designate a nondrinking driver among your group. It also means taking away the keys – forcefully if necessary – to prevent a juiced individual from stepping on the gas. And it also means calling a friend or a cab when alone to get a ride home.

This summer, the Drive Sober campaign takes on added significance as the number of road construction projects and work zones has increased in the county. With it, the number of fatal traffic accidents has increased as well. Those who drive impaired make such already-dangerous zones all the more hazardous to themselves and other motorists.

As a result, we urge those enforcing the Drive Sober campaign to show no mercy to those OVI scofflaws during their aggressive Labor Day holiday blitz. Among the lives they save may be your own.