Montgomery County Vacation Alcohol Process Pressure out to maintain vacation vacationers protected
The vacation season is a time of celebration, nevertheless it’s additionally some of the harmful instances on the highway. To maintain households protected, the Montgomery County Police Division has launched its annual Vacation Alcohol Process Pressure, specializing in stopping impaired drivers – individuals who have been ingesting or consuming medication.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – The vacation season is a time of celebration nevertheless it’s additionally some of the harmful instances on the highway.
To maintain households protected, the Montgomery County Police Division has launched its annual Vacation Alcohol Process Pressure, specializing in stopping impaired drivers – individuals who have been ingesting or consuming medication.
“It is a 100% preventable crime,” mentioned Sgt. Patrick Kepp.
Kepp is Main the group. The police sargent misplaced each his legs in a crash attributable to a teen’s reckless driving in October 2023. For him, the mission is private.
“It’s work that basically does save lives and is impactful,” he mentioned. “Whereas they will not be pleased with us that evening, on the again finish, they hopefully understand that call saved possibly themselves or in the event that they don’t take into consideration themselves possibly any individual else.”
The duty power, which runs by Jan. 11, consists of greater than 40 officers patrolling Wednesday by Saturday nights.
In its first week, the duty power made 29 arrests for impaired driving, with numbers anticipated to exceed final yr’s complete of 170 arrests.
FOX 5 realized from Wednesday evening into Thanksgiving Day there have been 15 DUI arrests.
Kepp stresses that impaired driving is totally preventable, including, “you flip that automobile right into a weapon if you get behind the wheel.”
Nationwide information reveals there are greater than 10,000 lethal crashes every year.
The duty power hopes their presence on the roads will encourage drivers to make safer choices.
Packages like Sober Journey provide free or discounted rides for individuals who’ve been ingesting, offering a substitute for getting behind the wheel. Different choices embrace rideshare like Uber or Lyft and contacting a trusted liked one to be your designated driver.
Montgomery County Police urge everybody to do their occasion by making good selections. The message is evident – don’t drink and drive.
