Booze and belts safety mobilization begins Dec. 9

To prevent deaths and injuries from traffic crashes during the upcoming holiday season, law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin will mobilize for the “Booze and Belts” traffic safety campaign beginning Dec. 9 through Dec. 17.

Last December, there were nearly 13,000 traffic crashes in Wisconsin — the most of any month in 2010 — which caused 37 deaths and more than 3,800 injuries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

“Slippery roads, poor visibility, and hectic holiday traffic combined with impatient and impaired drivers make this time of year especially dangerous on our roads,” said State Patrol Maj. Sandra Huxtable, director of the Wisconsin DOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “Although deaths and injuries from traffic crashes devastate individuals, families and entire communities throughout the year, they seem to be even more tragic during the holiday season.”

During Booze and Belts, law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on impaired and unbuckled motorists.

“Last year in Wisconsin, there were more than 40,000 convictions for drunken driving,” Huxtable says. “If you’re not sober when you drive, you could kill or injure yourself or someone else. Even if you are lucky enough to avoid death or injuries, you are risking a drunken driving arrest that will cause humiliation, huge fines, and possible jail time. In addition, you may have to install an ignition interlock device on every vehicle you own, have registered in your name or drive.”

Law enforcement officers also will be on the lookout for unbelted drivers and passengers during Booze and Belts and will strictly enforce the mandatory safety belt law. In 2010, there were nearly 120,000 convictions in Wisconsin for failure to fasten safety belts, which was the second most frequent traffic conviction.

“All law enforcement officers hope that people will voluntarily choose to buckle up and drive sober. But if they don’t, the extra traffic enforcement during the mobilization will increase their risk of getting caught,” Huxtable says. “During Booze and Belts and throughout the year, our goal is reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin—not to ticket or arrest more motorists. For all of us, the best gift we can give our loved ones is to ensure they come together to celebrate the holidays rather than mourn a needless injury or death.”