YDDYL ENFORCEMENT PLANNER
SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE

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Note: before filling in the names of the Local Law Enforcement Official and the Local Prosecutor, you MUST contact both these officials and receive their permission to use their names in this press release, and you must get their approval for the language of their quotations, and any changes or additions they may require. Only after this is done can you send out the press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: [Date]
CONTACT: [Name, Phone Number, E-mail address]

[ORGANIZATION] Warns Motorists – You Drink & Drive. You Lose!
Law enforcement working overtime this
Labor Day weekend to crack down on drunk drivers

With more people expected to be traveling on [State or Community Name] roadways this Labor Day holiday, law enforcement will be out in full force conducting [sobriety checkpoints] and saturation patrols to protect citizens from this deadly crime, [Local Leader] announced today.

“Our message is simple – You Drink & Drive. You Lose,” said [Local Law Enforcement Official]. “We encourage anyone planning on drinking alcohol to be responsible and designate a sober driver. With checkpoints, roving patrols, undercover officers and concerned citizens, chances are if you drive impaired this holiday, you will be arrested.”

Impaired driving is one of America’s most-often-committed and deadliest crimes. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people nationwide were arrested in 2004 for driving under the influence. Statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 2004 show that nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver with an illegal blood-alcohol concentration level of 0.08 or higher.

“Driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 and above is illegal in every state,” said [Local Prosecutor]. “Violators will be spending their money on bail, court, lawyers and towing fees instead of on the last days of their summer vacations. Refuse a sobriety test in many jurisdictions and you can lose your license on the spot and have your car impounded.”

The national impaired-driving crackdown is complemented by a $13.9 million national advertising campaign that puts drivers on notice that if they drive impaired, they will be caught and prosecuted. As part of the statewide campaign, [STATE] is running a state-specific ad in [MARKET(s)], where statistics show there is(are) a high rate of alcohol-related crashes.

Studies from NHTSA show that Americans support tougher enforcement and consider drunk driving an important social issue, ahead of health care, poverty, the environment and gun control. Nearly 97 percent of Americans view drinking and driving by others as a threat to their families and themselves. The majority of Americans also support increased enforcement efforts like sobriety checkpoints to protect innocent victims from impaired drivers.

NHTSA’s data also shows that motorcycle operators have the highest incidence of drunk driving-related fatal crashes. In 2003, motorcycles accounted for 29 percent, light trucks for 22 percent, passenger cars for 22 percent and large trucks for 1 percent of all fatal crashes where a driver had a BAC level of 0.08 and above. Furthermore, almost half (44 percent) of the 1,501 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2003 were intoxicated.

[Local Leader] reminds everyone to plan ahead. “If you find it hard to figure out if you’ve had too much alcohol to drive – don’t risk it. Most likely if you’re feeling ‘buzzed,’ you’re impaired, and if you drive, law enforcement will be out in force to catch you.”

[Local Organization] reminds everyone:

• Be responsible and don’t risk it … you will be caught.
• If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out.
• Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night where the activity is being held.
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
• Always buckle up – it’s your best defense against an impaired driver.

The You Drink & Drive. You Lose National Crackdown, first launched in December 1999, is a comprehensive impaired-driving prevention effort focused on conducting highly visible law-enforcement-related efforts to deter impaired driving. For more information about the campaign, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

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