(Sidney) The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office released information regarding the Special Traffic Enforcement Project over the Labor Day weekend.
Labor Day holiday weekend, known as the last holiday weekend of the summer is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of drunk-driving fatalities. During the 2018 Labor Day holiday period (August 31 – September 4), there were 439 traffic fatalities nationwide. Forty-three percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking and more than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were over the legal limit. Ultimately, drinking and driving is a choice, and it is a choice that puts all road users at risk.
It is imperative that we all do our part to end drunk and drugged driving. Remember that it is never okay to drink/drug and drive. Even if you plan to have only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver, or use a ride service to get home safely. If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement. Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely. These are small tasks that can make a BIG difference to save lives.
Last year, in Iowa, there were six fatalities over the three-day Labor Day weekend. Three of these fatalities involved a drunk driver. To help keep people safe on our roadways and put an end to drunk driving, extra law enforcement will be out, both locally and nationally, in support of the 2020 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. From August 21 through September 7, 2020, officers will be out there keeping our roads safe by removing impaired drivers and addressing other serious traffic violations.
As of August 10, 2020, Fremont County has had three fatality accidents compared to two in Mills, one in Montgomery and three in Page County. Fremont County has also had sixty-seven total accidents so far in 2020.
