Booze and Belts: Sober Up, Buckle Up

You would think the risks would be too high, but Muskego Police and anyone else who reads the weekly police blotters, know that people still don't heed warnings about drinking and driving.

"Drivers that make the choice to drink and drive risk an arrrest that will cause humiliation, large fines, possible jail time, suspension or revocation of their driver's license, as well as the requirement to pay for installment of an ignition interlock device on every vehicle they own, have registered in their name, or drive," said Lt. Andrew Kraus in a release from MPD.

To prevent serious traffic crashes during the upcoming holiday season, MPD is therefore joining law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin to mobilize for the “Booze and Belts” campaign from Dec. 7 to Dec. 16.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), last December there were more than 11,000 traffic crashes in Wisconsin, which caused 51 deaths and more than 3,500 injuries.

During Booze and Belts, law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on impaired and unbuckled motorists to make progress toward the goal of reducing the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin. 

Law enforcement officers also will be on the lookout for unbelted drivers and passengers during Booze and Belts. In 2011, there were nearly 85,000 convictions in Wisconsin for failure to fasten safety belts, which was the second most frequent traffic conviction.