Published on Friday, December 9, 2005
in the Naples Daily News

Lawmen will target drunken drivers

Florida motorists will soon face another initiative seeking to crack down on potential lawbreakers.

Law enforcement agencies across the state and nation begin the annual "You Drink & Drive You Lose" effort today. The mobilization will run through the first of year — a particularly popular time for intoxicated motorists, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Doug Dodson said.

Officers will conduct various programs to cut down on the number of drunken drivers, Dodson said.

The year already has been one of the deadliest in Florida history for motorists, and Dodson said efforts will be made to keep the statistics from piling up.

Unofficial figures showed 3,131 people have died on Florida roads as of last week, compared with 2,822 at this time last year.

The holiday season has proven to be a time where numbers increase even more, said Lt. Linda King of the Lee County Sheriff's Office traffic unit. Last year Florida recorded 15 alcohol-related deaths during the days surrounding Christmas.

To help reduce drunken drivers sheriff's deputies will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on a yet-to-be announced date.

They'll also have saturation patrols throughout the season, where they'll focus on popular areas for intoxicated drivers, King said. The percentage of drunken drivers routinely on Lee County roads is not huge, King said, but deputies will be doing their best to make the roads safer.

"If we can save just one life it's worth it," King said.

You Drink & Drive You Lose campaign is conducted though the Jacksonville-based Institute of Police Technology and Management. It is focused around the holidays because mid- to late-December tends to draw more drunken drivers, Dodson said. In addition to holiday parties and time off from work, there is also the depression factor which drives people to drink, he added.

"Our numbers definitely spike during this time of year," Dodson said. In Southwest Florida the deaths are already rising. We're doing what we can to help (reduce) the deaths."

The need to stop deaths and curb drunken drivers is the main factor behind the campaign, King said.

The desire to stop drunken drivers is highlighted by the fact that it's an avoidable crime, Dodson said.

"It's one of the most avoidable (crimes). It's one of those crimes of choice," Dodson said. "You choose to drink, and you choose to drive."