Booze and Belts traffic safety mobilization strives to save lives

December 3, 2012

Law enforcement agencies will intensify enforcement December 7-16

To prevent serious traffic crashes during the upcoming holiday season, law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin will mobilize for the "Booze and Belts" campaign from December 7 to December 16.

Last December, there were more than 11,000 traffic crashes in Wisconsin, which caused 51 deaths and more than 3,500 injuries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

During Booze and Belts, law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on impaired and unbuckled motorists to make progress toward the goal of reducing the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin.

"Alcohol-related crashes killed 225 people in Wisconsin and injured nearly 3,000 last year," says Wisconsin State Patrol Major Sandra Huxtable, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. "If you drive while impaired, even if you are lucky enough to avoid a crash, 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. Last year in Wisconsin, there were approximately 35,000 convictions for drunken driving."

Law enforcement officers also will be on the lookout for unbelted drivers and passengers during Booze and Belts. In 2011, there were nearly 85,000 convictions in Wisconsin for failure to fasten safety belts, which was the second most frequent traffic conviction.

"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," Major Huxtable says. "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."

For more information, contact:
State Patrol Major Sandra Huxtable, Bureau of Transportation Safety
(608) 266-3048, sandra.huxtable@dot.wi.gov

George Silverwood, Wisconsin DOT
(608) 266-9860, george.silverwood@dot.wi.gov