Redmond police detail DUII, distracted driving enforcement results

In July, the Redmond Police Department conducted grant-funded DUII High Visibility Enforcement Patrols, as well as patrols focused on distracted driving.

Redmond patrol officers working their normal shifts during July arrested eight DUII drivers. Redmond Police will continue enhanced DUII patrols throughout the remaining month of August.

The primary intent of these heightened patrols is to prevent deaths, injuries and property damage caused by DUII drivers by removing them from the road. Redmond Police Department officers are trained to look for signs of impairment beyond just alcohol, as many other substances, legal or illegal, can impair a person’s ability to operate a vehicle.

During the 2019 Labor Day holiday, Redmond Police will partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get drunk drivers off the roads and help save lives. The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 14 through September 2.

During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.

Sadly, the statistics prove that we have a lot of work to do to put an end to drunk driving. According to NHTSA, 10,874 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2017. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2013 to 2017—one person was killed in drunk driving crashes every 48 minutes in 2017. That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors. This is why Redmond PD is working with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death. As you head out to Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

During the 2017 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. September 1 – 5:59 a.m. September 5), there were 376 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-four percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (36%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and more than one-fourth (26%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2017, 42 percent of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

Drunk driving isn’t the only risk on the road: Drug-impaired driving is also an increasing problem on our nation’s roads. If drivers are impaired by any substance—alcohol or drugs—they should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Driving while impaired is illegal, period. The bottom line is this: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI. It’s that simple.

Redmond PD recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride sharing service to get home safely. Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, available on Google Play for Android devices: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en), and Apple’s iTunes Store for iOS devices: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/saferride/id950774008?mt=8). SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up. Please report suspected DUII drivers by calling 541-693-6911 in Deschutes County or anywhere in Oregon by calling 800-24-DRUNK (800-243-7865). Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov.

In July, the Redmond Police Department also conducted focused enforcement on distracted driving by contacting drivers who are failing to follow Oregon’s Unlawful Use of an Electronic Mobile Device law (ORS 811.507).

Three officers funded by a grant conducted over 8 hours of enforcement resulting in numerous traffic stops. The grant funded enforcement resulted in 7 citations and 1 warning for Unlawful Use of an Electronic Mobile Device. Additionally, 1 citation for Driving While Suspended; and 3 other citations or warnings issued for other traffic violations.

Redmond patrol officers working their regular shifts during July issued 7 additional citations to drivers for Unlawful Use of an Electronic Mobile Device.

Redmond Police will continue enhanced Distracted Driving patrols throughout the remaining month of August. The purpose of these heightened grant-funded patrols is to reduce the number of crashes on our roadways which can be attributed to distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2016 3,450 people died as a result of a distracted driver. Similar to DUII- related crashes, these crashes could have been prevented.

The officers of your Redmond Police Department are committed to making Redmond the safest community in Oregon. Preventing, locating and arresting DUII drivers is one of many ways they are working to accomplish this vision. Funding to support these enhanced DUII and distracted patrols is provided by grants from the Oregon Department of Transportation.