(COLUMBIA, MO) -
As part of the Columbia Police Department's continued efforts to remove impaired drivers from our roadways, enforcement efforts will be increased August 24 through August 30, 2015.
CPD received a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Division for participation in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign which runs from August 21 through September 7, 2015. A portion of the increased focus on impaired driving in Columbia from August 24 through August 30, 2015 will include at least one sobriety checkpoint within the City of Columbia, as well as increase saturation patrols. Motorists encountering sobriety checkpoint should expect minimal delays.
Impaired driving contributes to more than 30 percent of Missouri traffic fatalities. In 2014, 248 people were killed and 2,154 people were injured in crashes involving impaired drivers. Missouri has a Zero Tolerance law. If you are under 21, your license will be suspended if you're caught driving with even a trace of alcohol in your body. If you cause a fatal crash while intoxicated, you could be charged with Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both. Your license can be suspended for 90 days on your first arrest for driving while intoxicated. Your second offense results in a year-long revocation of your license, a fine of up to $1,000, and up to one year in jail. Any person guilty of second or subsequent alcohol-related traffic offenses will be required to have an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle before their driving privileges are reinstated.
"There's never a reason for driving while intoxicated," states CPD Traffic Officer Nathan Turner. "Impaired driving is a preventable crime, and the Columbia Police Department will continue to have a zero-tolerance approach to those who choose to drink and drive on Columbia's roadways."
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