SWEETWATER COUNTY — As the Labor Day holiday approaches, Sweetwater County law enforcement agencies remind citizens to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

The end of summer is traditionally marked by the Labor Day holiday, a time for our country to reflect on the hard work of our fellow Americans.

The long weekend is celebrated through picnics, pool parties, and barbecues, as families and friends enjoy the last few days of summer before fall and winter approach.

Sadly, the Labor Day holiday is also one of the deadliest, with drunk drivers endangering themselves and others on America’s roadways.

This year Sweetwater County law enforcement is out to stop drunk drivers and help save lives. The Sweetwater County high-visibility enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 31 through September 3.

During this period, Sweetwater County law enforcement agencies will show zero tolerance for drunk driving.

Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired – coupled with enforcement and increased numbers of officers on the road – aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.

Startling Statistics

Statistics show a startling trend in drunk driving. According to NHTSA, 10,497 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2016.

On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2012 to 2016-one person killed every 50 minutes in 2016.

That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year with no survivors. This is why Sweetwater County Law Enforcement is working to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death.

As you head out to Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

Labor Day Fatalities

Over the Labor Day holiday period in 2016, there were 433 crash fatalities nationwide.

Of those alcohol-related fatal crashes, one third (36%) involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (25%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the illegal limit (.15+ BAC).

Age is a particularly risky factor: Among the drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2016, 47 percent of those fatalities involved drunk drivers with BACs 0f .08 or higher.

Sheriff Mike Lowell, Chief Tom Jarvie of Green River, and Rock Springs Chief of Police Dwane Pacheco issued a joint statement this weekend: “We need our community to understand that it’s up to them to make the smart decision to drive sober, this Labor Day and every day,” the law enforcement leaders said.

“Drunk driving is a serious problem in Wyoming for all of us. This isn’t about writing tickets. This is about getting the message out that drunk driving is illegal, and it kills. Help us put an end to drunk driving.”

In Wyoming, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

If you kill someone while under the influence, you could be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.

Not only do you put your life and the lives of others at risk, but a DUI arrest means going to jail, losing your license, and paying steep financial costs.

Authorities recommend these safe alternatives to drinking and driving.

●       Plan a safe way home before the fun begins.

●       Designate a sober driver or call for a ride, taxi or rideshare.

●       Download Drive Sober Wyoming mobile app at https://www.wygcid.org/Smart_        Phone_App.html

●       If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact Law Enforcement.

●       If you know people who are about to drive or ride after drinking, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

●       Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app available on Google Play for Android devices at https://play.google.com/ store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en or Apple’s iTunes Store for IOS devices at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/ app/saferride/id950774008?mt=8.

SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.

Along with this enhanced enforcement effort, the Wyoming Highway Patrol is urging drivers to help keep Wyoming’s roadways safe by calling the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI) hotline number at 1-800-442-9090 to report suspected drunk drivers.

Callers should be prepared to provide the dispatcher with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.

As of this release there have been 68 traffic deaths in Wyoming in 2018, compared to 100 this time last year.