Dexter Police Joins National St. Patrick’s Day Holiday Crackdown
To Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities
‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign Will Target Substance–Impaired Drivers.
Dexter, Missouri - Local police will be out in full force as part of the annual nationwide St. Patrick’s Day Holiday “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” substance–impaired driving crackdown. The crackdown, which will include high-visibility enforcement throughout Dexter, will run from March 16-19, 2017. The effective nationwide substance–impaired driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events, and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb substance–impaired driving over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Dexter Police said its Officers will be aggressively looking for substance–impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving impaired. Although it is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive impaired (having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher), far too many people across the nation get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol. The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underscore the serious nature of the nation’s continuing drunk driving epidemic.
“Every year, about one third of all motor vehicle traffic deaths involve one or more substance- impaired drivers or motorcycle operators,” said Chief Stone. “In 2016, 179 people were killed and 643 seriously injured on Missouri’s roadways in crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired driver.” That works out to approximately one substance-impaired driver involved fatality every (2) two days. added the St. Patrick’s Day holiday is particularly dangerous. During the St. Patrick’s Day holiday March 17-20, 2016, two (2) people were killed and eight (8) seriously injured involving at least one substance-impaired driver.
“Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign reduces substance–impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. By joining this nationwide effort, we will make Dexter’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the holiday,” said Chief Stone. "We want to remind everyone that getting behind the wheel impaired is a terrible idea. Unfortunately, not only does being under the influence impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely, it also impairs your judgment and good sense about whether you can, or should drive. If you have any doubt about your sobriety, do not get behind the wheel. If you do chose to drive impaired, you will be arrested. No warnings. No excuses,” Chief Stone said.
Chief Stone noted that being arrested for driving under the influence of any substance brings a wide range of negative consequences into one’s life. Substance–impaired drivers face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators also often face tremendous personal embarrassment.
“Driving while impaired is simply not worth the risk. So don’t take the chance. Remember, we will be out in force and we will be watching, so ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,’” said Chief Stone.
Dexter, Missouri - Dexter Police announced today they are joining with statewide law enforcement March 15-31 for an aggressive youth seat belt mobilization to crack down on Missouri’s seat belt law violators and to reduce highway fatalities. Only 70 percent of Missouri teens wear their seat belts when driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Eight out of ten teen vehicle drivers and passengers killed in traffic crashes are unbuckled.
Under the Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) law, teens are required to wear their seat belt as it’s a primary offense, meaning they can be pulled over solely for not wearing their seat belt. “Local motorists should be prepared for stepped up seat belt enforcement,” said Chief Stone. “We’ll be out there to remind you seat belts can – and do – save lives.” Seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
Dexter, Missouri - Dexter Police Department will be joining efforts with statewide law enforcement on February 16th for an aggressive “Click It or Ticket” mobilization to get more motorists to buckle up — and save more lives.
Despite evidence proving the benefits of wearing a seat belt, 20% of Missouri motorists are still not making it click.
Even worse, 63% of occupants killed in crashes in Missouri were unrestrained.
“Local motorists should be prepared for stepped up Click It or Ticket enforcement,” said Lieutenant Benton. “We’ll be out there to remind you seat belts can – and do – save lives.”
Buckle Up and Arrive Alive.
For information on Missouri seatbelt usage, visit www.saveMOlives.com.
Route U in Butler and Stoddard Counties will be closed as contractor crews perform bridge repairs.
The bridge is located between Route H in Butler County and Route CC in Stoddard County. Detour will be in place.
Weather permitting, work will performed Monday, Jan. 9 through Wednesday, March 15 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily a detour will be in place.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
For additional information, contact MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is ready to track Santa for the 61st year beginning on Christmas Eve.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program began in 1955 after a phone call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The call was from a local youngster who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander on duty who answered the phone that night gave the child the information requested - the whereabouts of Santa.
This began the tradition of tracking Santa, a tradition that was carried on by NORAD when it was formed in 1958.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program has grown immensely since first presented on the Internet in 1997. The website, www.noradsanta.org receives millions of unique visitors from hundreds of countries and territories around the world. In addition, a live Operations Center is occupied for 23 hours with more than 1,200 volunteers each year who receive hundreds of thousands of phone calls and emails from families around the world.
