December 4, 2013

Sauk County Sheriff’s Office to join Booze and Belts traffic safety mobilization

     To increase safety belt use and reduce drunken driving, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office will mobilize for the statewide “Booze and Belts” campaign from Dec. 13 to 21.

     “Fatal and serious injuries caused by traffic crashes are tragic any time of year, but they are even more devastating especially for families during the holiday season,” said Sheriff Chip Meister.  “To prevent needless deaths and injuries, our officers will be out in force during the Booze and Belts mobilization looking for unbuckled and impaired motorists along with other unsafe driving behavior.” 

     During mobilizations and throughout the year, law enforcement agencies are cracking down on impaired and unbuckled motorists. Last year in Wisconsin, there were approximately 27,000 convictions for drunken driving and nearly 105,000 convictions for failure to fasten safety belts.

     “If you drive drunk, you are seriously jeopardizing your life and the lives of others on the road. Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid a crash, you still are risking an arrest that will cause humiliation, huge fines, possibly having to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicles, and perhaps even jail time,” said Sheriff Meister. “We also take safety belt enforcement seriously. Too many drivers and passengers are seriously injured or killed while being ejected from their vehicles or tossed around violently inside them during a crash.”

     The Booze and Belts mobilization is part of a statewide effort to reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to Zero In Wisconsin.

     “Our goal is voluntary compliance with traffic laws, so we urge you to make the responsible decision to buckle up and drive sober,” said Sheriff Meister. But if you make an irresponsible decision, we will stop you and we won’t give you a warning or a second chance.”

Sheriff Chip Meister