January 19, 2005

To protect travelers from a serious winter hazard—drunk drivers—law enforcement officers in Michigan arrested 1,141 motorists for drunk driving and another 676 for other alcohol-related offenses during the You Drink & Drive. You Lose. crackdown.

Police agencies, sheriff’s offices and Michigan State Police posts across the state focused on drunk driving from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 as part of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning’s (OHSP) campaign.

"Law enforcement officers again showed drunk drivers that their actions have consequences and will not be tolerated," said Michael L. Prince, OHSP division director. "Because of their commitment to stopping drunk drivers, officers made Michigan’s roadways safer during the holidays."

More than 500 agencies participated in the statewide crackdown. According to the agencies reporting statistics to OHSP, 35,512 vehicles were stopped. In addition to the alcohol arrests, there were 661 felony and 3,142 misdemeanor arrests. Officers also wrote 8,381 speeding citations and issued 1,294 safety belt citations for motorists over the age of 15 and 135 child restraint citations.

Preliminary results show there were seven traffic fatalities in Michigan over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, four of which involved alcohol, according to the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center.

For more specific results, including a breakdown by county, visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

Read more news releases from the Michigan State Police.