JEFFERSON CITY – New Missouri DWI legislation will crack down on drunk drivers and make Missouri roads safer. The timely coordination of the new law and an impaired driving campaign will urge drivers to think about the consequences of impaired driving this August and in the months ahead.
This year’s You Drink & Drive, You Lose campaign will take place Aug. 20 through Sept. 6. Law enforcement will participate in statewide sobriety checkpoints and DWI saturation patrols enforcing Missouri’s DWI laws and keeping impaired drivers off the road. At the same time, advertising messages will remind drivers of the consequences of impaired driving.
One hundred and ninety-five law enforcement agencies participated in the 2009 “You Drink & Drive, You Lose.” campaign from Aug. 21 to Sept. 7 and issued 909 DWI violations.
The new DWI law which goes into effect Aug. 28 will:
• Increase jail time for repeat DWI offenders and those with higher blood alcohol levels;
• Move more cases from municipal courts to state courts, where penalties can be tougher;
• Mandate better record-keeping for DWI cases so that repeat offenders can be properly tracked; and
• Offer offenders opportunities to participate in a DWI court program that incorporates treatment and close monitoring instead of going to jail.
“This is a huge step in the fight against impaired driving,” said Leanna Depue, MoDOT Director of Highway Safety. “The new law will keep drunk drivers off Missouri roads and save innocent lives.”
In 2009, 280 people were killed, 1,140 seriously injured and 3,719 received minor injuries in crashes involving an impaired driver.
Now more than ever in Missouri, You Drink and Drive, You Lose. To learn more about impaired driving and how you can Arrive Alive, visit www.savemolives.com/
