Renton Police officers will join other officers and community members Saturday throughout South King County, canvassing bars in their areas to alert patrons to extra DUI patrols and options to make it home safely.
About two dozen officers, deputies and troopers are expected to participate.
The extra patrols are part of the annual Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign that runs through Labor Day, sponsored by the Washington state Traffic Safety Commission.
August is a deadly month on Washington’s roadways; from 2006 – 2010, on average, more impaired-driving deaths occurred in August than any other month, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
According to the commission, here are some behaviors drunken drivers can exhibit, depending upon impairment level, according to the commission.
For example, those who know they are impaired:
• Travel slower than the posted speed limit
• Appear to be drunk (face close to the windshield)
• Slow responses to traffic signals, sudden stops, tapping of brake lights
• Travel side to side within and outside of their lane
Those who don’t think they are impaired generally drive a little more aggressively and:
• Speed
• Follow too closely
• Change lanes abruptly (weaving in and out of traffic)
• Travel side to side within and outside of their lane
Someone who sees a driver exhibiting such behavior should dial 911.
The combination of one or more of these behaviors may alert you that you are near a drunk driver, so what do you do?
Last year in King County, during the same time period, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 452 people for DUI. For all of 2011, in King County, 10,331 people were charged with DUI.
The Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, North Bend, Pacific, Port of Seattle, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Snoqualmie and Tukwila Police Departments, and the Washington State Patrol will participate in this Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign.
The King County Target Zero Task Force organizes and supports this enforcement effort.
For additional information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
