Fremont County DUI Task Force Preparing To Focus On Labor Day Impaired Driving Enforcement

CONTACTS:

Cody Beers, WYDOT Public Relations Specialist

(307) 856-1341 (office) (307) 431-1803 (cell)

Pete Abrams, WYDOT Law Enforcement Liaison

(307) 277-5696

 

This Labor Day holiday weekend, the newly formed Fremont County DUI Task Force will implement impaired driving enforcement operations.

In short, don’t drink and drive. You’ll be arrested.

"Law enforcement will be out enforcing traffic laws to ensure motorists can safely make it to their destinations. Our law enforcement will take immediate action on distracted and impaired drivers. Be responsible, don’t drink and drive, or you will be held accountable,” said Colonel Kebin Haller with the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The Fremont County DUI Task Force includes the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lander, Riverton, Shoshoni, and BIA Wind River police departments.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2019 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. During 2019 in Wyoming, 26 percent of traffic fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver. This is why Wyoming law enforcement is working with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, but also a matter of life and death. As you celebrate Labor Day, remember to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

“We want Wyoming to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking,” said Haller. “We need commitment from our communities that they’ll keep the roads free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. This is a campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal, and it takes lives. Let’s also make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: Help us protect our state and put an end to this senseless behavior.”

The Fremont County DUI Task Force recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

·Remember that it is never OK to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation, taxi or a ride sharing service to get home safely.

·If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact Fremont County law enforcement or dial 911.

·Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and plan to get your friend home safely.