ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Office of Highway Safety and the Virgin Islands Police Department are joining forces with the U.S. states and their local law enforcement for an aggressive national enforcement crackdown on drunk driving, which commenced on December 29, and ends on January 8, 2017, the V.I.P.D. has announced.
The national enforcement mobilization theme is “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”, according to the release. The overall purpose of this mobilization is to crackdown on drunk driving and to reduce highway fatalities — especially during the holidays and other festive seasons.
“It’s time for all drivers to get the message. The season is a time to be merry, but it is also a time to remember to be safe and realize that your actions of negligence caused by impaired driving affects all that lives in this small community,” said VI Office of Highway Safety Director Akil Johnson. “If you choose to drink, have a designated driver, or find other means of getting home.”
As part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign period, police will be increasing the number of patrols, setting up roadblocks, and using local media to reach out to all drivers, according to the release.
If you’re drinking and driving, V.I.P.D. will stop you, the release warns. If you’re caught drinking and driving you could face jail time, fines, loss of driver’s license, towing fees, and other DUI expenses, totaling $10,000 on average. That’s not a small price, and that does not count the heftier price you could pay: the price of your life or someone else’s, the release goes on.
Locally, for calendar year 2016 there were a total of 1,492 crashes, 282 of which were caused by DUI offenders, according to the release. Fifty-seven arrests, and 3 fatalities were also caused by DUIs.
Tags: drunk driving, us virgin islands
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