1 in 12 Drivers Admit Driving Drunk According to Government Study

USA Today recently reported that one in 12 drivers admitted driving drunk at least once over the course of a year, according to a government survey.

One in five, or 20% of the 6,999 people surveyed, said they had driven in the past year within two hours of drinking an alcoholic beverage. Yet an overwhelming majority — four out of five people — consider drinking and driving a major threat to their safety, according to the 2008 survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Let's keep these figures in mind as the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches... and remember to arrive alive; don't drink and drive!

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Virginia Announces Crackdown on Drunk Drivers with Checkpoint Strikeforce Campaign

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, Governor Timothy M. Kaine yesterday launched the 2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign, a statewide initiative combining enforcement and education efforts to raise public awareness of drunk driving. More than 75 state and local law enforcement agencies across the state are participating in the effort.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 55 percent of the nation's 2006 traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads. In 2007, there were 378 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Virginia. State data indicates that the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Virginia has remained steady over recent years, a finding that is alarming and troubling to law enforcement officials across the state.

In addition to this weekend's enhanced enforcement on Virginia's rural roadways and with Labor Day weekend - historically one of the deadliest drunk driving holiday weekends of the year - right around the corner, Checkpoint Strikeforce has begun a five-month, statewide campaign to reduce the incidence of drunken driving. This statewide campaign combines proactive public education and enforcement efforts in order to raise public awareness of drunk driving.

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