More Than 400 Motorists Arrested For Drunk Driving During Recent Statewide Crackdown
Issued: April 23, 2013
Law enforcement officers arrested 433 motorists for drunk driving during a three-week impaired driving crackdown March 13-April 8. Of those arrested, 72 were charged under the state's high blood alcohol content (BAC) law with a BAC of .17 or higher. This is an increase from the 405 drunk driving arrests made during a similar enforcement effort in 2012.
Officers from 155 agencies conducted stepped up enforcement aimed at curtailing drunk driving during a time frame that included National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournaments, high school and college spring break periods and St. Patrick's Day. This resulted in 12,296 traffic stops and 6,350 citations and arrests, including 296 for other alcohol- and drug-related charges such as open intoxicants.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) coordinated the effort, which was funded with federal highway safety grants, in 26 counties.
"Motorists who choose to drive drunk endanger everyone on the roadway," said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. "Enforcement efforts like this save lives by putting extra officers on the road to stop and arrest impaired drivers as well as curtail other dangerous driving behaviors."
One motorist was arrested with a .43 BAC by Kent County's Kentwood Police Department. It was the driver's third drunk driving arrest. In Wayne County, a driver was arrested for driving drunk with two children in the vehicle and was subsequently cited for child endangerment by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
Other enforcement activity included:
- 1,091 speeding citations
- 648 uninsured motorist citations
- 556 suspended driver citations
- 291 fugitive arrests
- 186 misdemeanor arrests
- 129 seat belt and child restraint citations
- 55 felony arrests
Grant-funded counties included: Allegan, Berrien, Calhoun, Chippewa, Delta, Eaton, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Marquette, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Ottawa, Saginaw, St. Clair, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne.
