Special DUI and seat belt use patrols will mount over Thanksgiving holiday

Rock Springs, WY. – The long Thanksgiving holiday weekend is nearly here, and law enforcement throughout Sweetwater County will be working to keep our community safe.

Sheriff Mike Lowell said the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, the Rock Springs and Green River Police Departments, and the Wyoming Highway Patrol will be working special DUI and seat belt enforcement details throughout the holiday.

Incidences of drunk driving always spike over holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception. An average of 10,000 people are killed every year in drunk-driving-related crashes; to put that in perspective, that’s a DUI-related death every 51 minutes.

Authorities remind everyone that in Wyoming, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. If you kill someone while under the influence, you could be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. Not only do you put your life and the lives of others at risk, but a DUI arrest means going to jail, losing your license, and paying steep financial costs.

The Sweetwater County law enforcement community recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving.

Plan a safe way home before any festivities or gatherings that involve alcohol.

Designate a sober driver or call for a ride, taxi or rideshare.

Download Drive Sober Wyoming mobile app at http://www.wygcid.org/Smart_Phone_App.html

If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact law enforcement by calling the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI) hotline number at 1-800-442-9090 to report suspected drunk drivers. Callers should be prepared to provide the dispatcher with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.

If you know people who are about to drive or ride after drinking, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

· Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app available on Google Play for Android devices at:

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en),

or Apple’s iTunes Store for IOS devices at:

(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.

The men and women of the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office wish everyone a happy – and safe – Thanksgiving holiday!