July 28, 2003

Law enforcement officers arrested 2,583 motorists for alcohol-related offenses during the statewide You Drink & Drive. You Lose. crackdown that took place June 27-July 13. Preliminary statistics from the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center, indicate there were 12 fatalities over the Fourth of July period, down from 30 recorded in 2002. While still provisional, this is the fewest fatalities for a three-day Fourth of July period since 1972. There were 14 fatalities recorded in 1993 over the three-day holiday.

While the number of alcohol arrests is down somewhat from the December 2002 mobilization, so is the number of agencies reporting statistics to the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). In December, there were 2,736 arrests for alcohol-related offenses reported by 337 law enforcement agencies. Most recently, 279 agencies reported their activity to OHSP.

"Using a combination of publicity and enforcement, our goal remains to eliminate drunk driving," said Michael L. Prince, OHSP division director. "I believe we are moving in the right direction."

More than 550 Michigan law enforcement agencies took part in the crackdown. OHSP information shows agencies logged 61,373 patrol hours, stopping 48,258 vehicles and making 613 felony and 4,004 misdemeanor arrests. In addition, officers issued 3,606 safety belt citations and 14,595 speeding tickets.

For a more specific results breakdown by county,  click here

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