Welcome to the 2015
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
National Enforcement Crackdown on
Drunk Driving
Help Us Fight This Deadly Crime
August 21-September 7, 2015
Let’s Work Together
As summer approaches, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is preparing for what is always one of the busiest travel periods on our nation’s highways. The end of summer is capped off with the Labor Day holiday – one last, long weekend to have fun with family and friends. But unfortunately, it has become a time of year when a tragic number of lives are lost in drunk-driving crashes. To combat this trend in alcohol-impaired driving, NHTSA needs your support year-round, but especially during the national drunk driving crackdown campaign August 21 through Labor Day, September 7, 2015. Join us as we send the message, loud and clear: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
Each year, our law enforcement partners across the country are the ones who make this enforcement campaign a success. NHTSA wants to give you everything you need as an organization to bolster your efforts and help you save lives. Included here, you’ll find this year’s Products for Enforcement Action Kit(PEAK). It’s important that you use these campaign tools to reach as many people as possible, to let everyone know that you’re cracking down on drunk driving starting August 21st. The high-visibility enforcement model is twofold: get the message out and step up enforcement efforts. The model works best (i.e., we save more lives) when we do both.
Why the Crackdown Is Important
We all know that drunk driving is a major plague on America’s highways. From small towns, to big cities, the countryside, and on the freeways, too many drivers are still ignoring the law. Each year, over 10,000 people are killed by drunk drivers in the United States. In August 2013, leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend, 986 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes, making up almost a third of all crash fatalities that month. Over Labor Day weekend that year (6 p.m. Friday, August 30th to 5:59 a.m. Tuesday, September 3rd), an incredible 38 percent of all crash fatalities involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Sadly, almost half (48%) of all crash fatalities involved drivers who had consumed at least some alcohol (BAC .01+), and a shocking 27 percent of the deaths were in crashes with drivers who were almost twice the illegal per se limit (BAC .15+). And those numbers are consistent with the 5-year averages for Labor Day crashes from 2009-2013, which means—in a nutshell—we still have a lot of work to do. That’s why the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign is critical to public safety.
What’s in the 2015 PEAK
NHTSA Law Enforcement Call to Action — The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national high-visibility enforcement campaign is only possible with the dedication of law enforcement officers. Use this message to remind your team why their efforts are so important.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled OverTimeline and Future Dates Flyer — Share these important documents internally so your team is aware of key campaign dates and can strategize accordingly.
Earned Media — Customize and use our prepared press releases, op-ed, and fact sheet with talking points to get the word out to the drivers in your area about Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over — or use these documents as guides to create your own promotional and educational material.
Social Media — Customize or copy-and-paste these sample Facebook posts and Twitter messages about drunk driving and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Social media is an excellent way to make sure the message gets out to the greatest number of people.
Crime Crash Clock — See why the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is such an important way to fight crime and save lives. This simple and powerful graphic compares the frequency and consequences of crimes and crashes.
NHTSA Reports — NHTSA uses hard data and years of research to shape enforcement and outreach efforts. Check out the statistics on impaired driving; you’ll be reminded why the crackdown is an important effort.