State police kick off ‘drive sober’ campaign

Pennsylvania State Police is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign from Wednesday through Sept. 4.

According to a state police news release, DUI-related fatalities have fallen by a third over the past 30 years, but recent statistics show a slight increase in the number of deaths between 2014 and 2015. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2011 to 2015, about one every 51 minutes in 2015.

“As Pennsylvanians prepare to mark the end of summer with Labor Day festivities, it is important to remember to celebrate responsibly and make a plan to get home safely,” state police Bureau of Patrol director Maj. Edward Hoke said in the release. “Troopers will conduct high-visibility patrols and DUI checkpoints, with a zero-tolerance approach toward impaired driving.”

The NHTSA developed the SaferRide smartphone app for Android and Apple devices to help curb impaired driving, the release said. The app provides three simple options to aid those who may not be coherent enough for complicated apps. The app allows users to call a preprogrammed contact, bring up a map of their current location and a list of taxi services in the area.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 6:19 PM with the headline "State police kick off ‘drive sober’ campaign."