Law enforcement officers from police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Michigan
State Police are partnering with the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) to get drunk and drugged drivers off our roads and save lives during the enforcement campaigns Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Drive High, Get a DUI, which will run from August 16 to September 6. During this period, increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with extra enforcement and increased officers on the roadway, aim to drastically reduce drunk and drugged driving.

“The end of summer and Labor Day holiday is a time for fun and community as families and friends gather for a final, late-summer celebration. Unfortunately, there are people who will make the wrong choice to drive impaired, needlessly putting themselves and others at risk,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director.

 
Over the 2020 Labor Day holiday period in Michigan, there were 1,833 crashes, including 15 fatal crashes, resulting in 15 fatalities. Of those 15 fatal crashes, 8 involved alcohol and/or drugs (53.3 percent).

In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Motorists face enhanced penalties if arrested for a first-time drunk driving offense with a .17 BAC or higher. Anyone who refuses a breath test for the first time is given a one-year driver’s license suspension. For a second refusal within seven years, it is a two-year suspension.

During last year’s August enforcement campaign, officers made 181 OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) and 35 OUID (Operating Under the Influence of Drugs) arrests for a total of 216 alcohol- and drug-related arrests.