Drunk Drivers in Southwest Florida and across the nation face heavy enforcement launched this week to prevent drunk driving accidents, serious injury and death on our roads this holiday season.
Attorneys who represent drunk driving victims and everyone at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, urge motorists to act responsibly this holiday season and help prevent the tragic consequences of drinking and driving.
An $8 million national TV and radio ad campaign “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” will be complimented by stepped-up, high-visibility law enforcement using saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints to help protect the millions of Americans traveling from now through the New Year’s holiday, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“‘Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest’ isn’t just a slogan, but a reflection of states’ increasing intolerance of drunk driving,” said Vernon F. Betkey Jr., chairman of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “No more excuses or exceptions. States are funding overtime enforcement, drunk driving checkpoints and saturation patrols to keep the roads safe during the holidays.”
MADD reports travelers this year will share the roads with 2 million drunk drivers who have three or more convictions, including more than 400,000 with five or more convictions.
In Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres and elsewhere in Lee County, traffic enforcement will be heavy through the holidays, according to Brenda Gellinger of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the local MADD Chapter.
“The holidays are particularly dangerous, when road travel is the heaviest and drunk driving increases,” said Gellinger, noting a recent year saw 1,317 people killed in alcohol-related crashes between Thanksgiving and New Year. “Enforcement works: Aggressive enforcement of drunk driving laws reduces the number of people who lose their lives as a result of drunk driving. Research has shown that highly publicized, highly visible and frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce fatal drunk driving crashes by an average of 20 percent.”
If you or someone you love is in an accident, there are certain things you can do the help protect your rights. The accident attorneys at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, have been representing victims of drunk driving crashes for four decades and offer free appointments to discuss your case at any of the firms offices, located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Port Charlotte, Arcadia, Sebring and Venice.