The Fourth of July holiday celebration is going to get off with a bang
not far from us in Joplin. Just a short drive on Interstate 44 will take
you to Lawrence County, where law enforcement officials are determined
to do their level best to prevent
car accidents caused by drunken drivers over the big three-day weekend.
In fact, they’re going to begin the annual “Drive Sober of
Get Pulled Over” crackdown a couple of days early, beginning tomorrow
and lasting through July 6. You can expect police agencies in Joplin and
surrounding communities to increase high-visibility DWI patrols over the
same time period as well.
Lawrence County’s sheriff said his deputies will be aggressive in
searching for drunken drivers and arresting everyone and anyone suspected of DWI.
In Missouri, it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of
.08 percent or higher. According to bloodalcoholcalculator.org, a woman
weighing 130 pounds could be too impaired to drive after three drinks
in two hours. The reality is that no one should drive after consuming
alcohol, regardless of gender, weight or their perceived fitness to get
behind the wheel.
Far too many tragedies have occurred after someone insisted they were fine
to drive because they had just had “a couple of beers.” Research
shows that reflexes slow, vision diminishes and judgment is altered after
consumption of alcohol.
“Unfortunately, not only does drinking impair your ability to operate
a vehicle safely, it also impairs your judgment and good sense about whether
you can or should drive,” the sheriff said.
If you drink at all this weekend, please stay safe by making use of a designated driver.
Source: Aurora Advertiser,
“Sheriff plans DWI efforts during holiday weekend,” June 30, 2014
