OCPD Press Release

OCEAN CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES ‘DRUNK DRIVING: OVER THE LIMIT, UNDER ARREST’ IN EFFORT TO SAVE LIVES

The Ocean City Police Department will be joining thousands of law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the country by taking part in the /Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest/ crackdown campaign against impaired driving. During the campaign, which will be enforced from August 15 until September 1, 2008, Ocean City officers will be out in force conducting saturation patrols and using undercover officers to get more drunk drivers off the road.

The national /Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest/ impaired driving crackdown campaign is a prevention program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The focal point for the campaign is the combination of high-visibility enforcement and a heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous crimes in the United States. According to the campaign’s website, in 2006, more than 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. “In Ocean City we see far too many people who have been driving under the influence of alcohol,” stated Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette A. DiPino. “Driving drunk is simply not worth the risks that people take. Not only do violators risk injuring or killing themselves, but also injuring or killing someone else.”

DiPino urges Ocean City residents and visitors who have been drinking to use alternative means of transportation. “We are actually quite lucky to live in Ocean City,” DiPino added. “We live in a city that offers numerous options for a safe ride home, including the Ocean City buses and several taxicab companies.”

Chief DiPino also recommends that people designate a driver before going out in Ocean City. “Many establishments offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers,” DiPino remarked. “By choosing to be a designated driver you are choosing to not only ensure the safety of yourself, but the safety of your friends.”

The effort of /Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest/ is supported by $11 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that driving under the influence will not be tolerated, now more then ever.

For more information about the /Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest/ crackdown campaign, visit www.stopimpaireddriving.org http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org