Labor Day is traditionally an end-of-the-summer celebration, but drinking and driving can quickly destroy the holiday.The Arlington Police Department is warning people to drive sober or face the consequences of jail time.
APD is participating with the other North Texas as law enforcement agencies in the No Refusal program, which begins Friday, Aug. 30 and runs through 4 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. During a no-refusal period, search warrants will be issued for the blood specimen of drivers suspected of DWI who refuse to provide a voluntary sample.
"For the upcoming Labor Day holiday, our hope is that there are no alcohol-related crashes or fatalities," said Sgt. Steve Chao. "We can only make this happen if everyone commits to driving sober."
The Arlington Police Department is also using traditional news media outlets, websites and social media to promote the "Drink, Drive, Go to Jail" campaign, developed by the Texas Department of Transportation to remind Texans about the consequences of driving while impaired.
According to the TxDOT, there were 330 alcohol-related traffic crashes in Texas in 2012 that resulted in 19 fatalities and 126 serious injuries during the Labor Day holiday reporting period.
More than half or 53.1 percent of the total traffic fatalities during the 2012 Labor Day period in Texas were caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol.
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