Police Chief
Steve Sundstrom
Cass County Sheriff's Dept.
1-800-450-2677

 O, SAY CAN YOU SEE? EXTRA DWI ENFORCEMENT THROUGHOUT JULY
Stepped-Up Impaired Driving Enforcement During Deadly Month for Alcohol-Related Crashes

Lake Shore, Minn. — Lake Shore Police will increase DWI patrols in July, one of the deadliest periods for impaired driving in Minnesota. The statewide impaired driving enforcement sweep covers the 4^th of July holiday weekend and will include participation from more than 400 Minnesota law enforcement agencies. The state Department of Public Safety (DPS) coordinates the Safe & Sober campaign.

Over the last three years (2004–2006) in July, 67 motorists were killed in alcohol-related crashes and more than 10,000 were arrested for DWI.

“An effective route to stop impaired driving is through extra enforcement,” says Chief Steve Sundstrom. “Law enforcement is serious about taking impaired drivers off the road, and we need citizens to be serious about planning ahead for safe rides to avoid drinking and driving.”

In Minnesota, over 500,395 motorists have a DWI — one in eight with a driver’s record.  A DWI can cost up to $20,000 when factoring in increased insurance cost rates, legal and other fees.

In the last three years on Minnesota roads, 540 motorists were killed in alcohol-related crashes and more than 113,000 were arrested for DWI. In Cass & Crow Wing Counties during 2004–2006, there were 25 impaired driving deaths and 2,850 DWI arrests. Of the impaired drivers and their passengers killed in alcohol-related crashes, over 70 percent were not wearing seat belts.

“Crash data shows the booze bone is connected to the no-belt bone,” says Chief Sundstrom. “These two mistakes result in hundreds of deaths each year.” Sundstrom says officers will include seat belt enforcement during the nighttime DWI patrols to minimize risk of death or injury.

Young adults continue to be the primary violators of impaired driving. From 2004 to 2006, more than 25 percent of DWI's in Cass & Crow Wing Counties were committed by motorists in their early 20s and those under the legal drinking age.

The Lake Shore Police Department is encouraging the use of “Designated Driver Gift Certificates” — which can be sent via email at www.minnesotasafeandsober.org. The certificates can be sent to friends to offer a safe ride for a night out, and call for the recipient to return the favor.

Safe & Sober is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The program is designed to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.

Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

LAKE SHORE MOTORISTS TO FACE ENHANCED
SEAT BELT ENFORCEMENT PATROLS

 Lake Shore, MN— To combat an annual Minnesota death toll of around 200 unbelted motorists, Lake Shore officers will ramp up patrols May 19–June 1 for a statewide Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS)  Safe & Sober “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement sweep. 

The enforcement effort is a nationwide campaign and will include about 400 agencies participating statewide. The enforcement leads into the summer driving season, the deadliest time on the roads. A seat belt citation is $25 but can cost as much as $115 with court and administrative fees.

 “Unbelted traffic deaths and serious injuries impact every community in the state, including ours,” says Lake Shore officer Dave Cox.  “When you’re not belted, your chances of surviving crash are cut in half.”

Unbelted motorists account for over half of all vehicle occupant deaths each year. During 2004–2006 in Minnesota there were 1,274 vehicle occupants killed in crashes and 658 were not wearing seat belts. DPS estimates around half of those killed would have survived if they were buckled up. In the last three years in Cass & Crow Wing Counties, 38 died and 18 were unbelted. Another 64 unbelted motorists were seriously injured during this period. The estimated economic impact of unbelted deaths and serious injuries in Cass County in 2004–2006 is $19,420,000.

Lake Shore officers will also conduct special nighttime seat belt enforcement patrols. DPS  2004–2006 data reports there were 306 vehicle occupant traffic deaths during nighttime hours 9 p.m. – 3 a.m.) and 202 — 66 percent — were not belted. 

Another focus of the campaign is teens — the group with the lowest seat belt use compliance, and as a result is overrepresented in traffic deaths. During 2004–2006 in Minnesota, 204 motorist’s ages 16–19 were killed in crashes and 98 were unbelted.   “We are calling on teens to speak up and tell their friends to buckle up,” says officer Cox.

During last year’s seat belt enforcement campaign, Lake Shore officers issued 11 seat belt citations.

The Safe & Sober effort is coordinated by the DPS Office of Traffic Safety as a component of the state’s Toward Zero Death initiative (TZD). TZD is a multi-agency approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma care and response.

Click It or Ticket.

[ Home ] [ About Lake Shore ] [ City Calendar ] [ City Hall ] [ City Council ] [ Police Dept. ] [ Planning Comm. ] [ City Staff ] [ Fritz Loven Park ] [ Area Links ] [ Weather ] [ Maps ]

Send mail to cityoflakeshore@cityoflakeshore.com  with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2004-2005 City of Lake Shore
Terms of use
Website design and maintenance donated by Lake Shore Innovations