(COLUMBIA, MO) -
COLUMBIA POLICE DEPARTMENT CRACKING DOWN ON IMPAIRED DRIVERS MAY 2 -13, 2013
With prom and graduation season here, Missouri law enforcement want to make sure Missouri youth are celebrating safe and sober. The Columbia Police Department will join other Missouri law enforcement agencies to crack down on impaired driving May 2-13, 2013.
Impaired driving is a preventable crime, and we intend to crack down so drivers feel secure when traveling on Missouri's roadways. Consider some of the consequences if you are caught driving while intoxicated:
It is illegal for someone under 21 to possess or consume alcohol in Missouri, yet youth make up a significant proportion of drunk drivers causing traffic crashes on Missouri roadways. 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 system
For the first conviction (or first conviction in five years), your license will be suspended for 30 days followed by a 60 day suspension if a hardship license is not obtained. A second conviction results in a $1,000 fine, a yearlong revocation of your license and up to a year in jail. You will also be required to install an ignition interlock system on your vehicle, preventing your car from starting when you have alcohol on your breath. Third and subsequent convictions can be penalized with up to a $5,000 fine, a 10-year license denial, and/or up to seven years in jail. If you cause a fatal crash while intoxicated, you could be charged with Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony resulting in up to seven years of jail time, a $5,000 fine or both.
Between 2010 and 2012, 77 people were killed and 363 seriously injured in Missouri roadway crashes involving an impaired driver under the age of 21. For more information, please visit www.savemolives.com/.
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