Wood and Marathon County Law Enforcement Participating in Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign

Tuesday, August 20th, 2024 -- 10:00 AM

From August 16 through September 2, which includes the Labor Day holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working alongside the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Wausau Police Department, Mountain Bay Metro Police Department, and Marshfield Police Department for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign.

The goal is to deter impaired driving and prevent the tragedies seen in previous Labor Day weekends from happening again. During the 2022 Labor Day holiday (6 p.m. September 2-5:59 a.m. September 6), there were 490 crash fatalities nationwide.

Of these 490 traffic crash fatalities, 39% (190) involved a drunk driver, and a quarter (25%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC).

Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday in 2022, 47% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

In Marathon County alone, over the Labor Day holiday in the last three years (2021, 2022, and 2023), we had six (6) crashes involving impairment. Of these six (6) crashes, one (1) was a fatality, and six (6) people were injured.

“We want our community members 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 Lieutenant Michael Van Offeren.

“The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is an awareness effort to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Let’s make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: Help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior.”

Drivers should be safe during this Labor Day holiday by planning if they intend to drink. They shouldn’t wait until after drinking to plan how to get home. Impairment clouds a person’s judgment. Drivers should secure a designated sober driver or call a taxi or rideshare for a sober ride home.

Many of the local bars in Marathon County participate in the Safe Ride Home program. If you wish to use this program, please check with the bar you plan to be at to see if they participate.

If a driver finds they cannot drive, they should give their keys to a sober driver so that person can get them home safely. When a friend has been drinking and is considering driving, friends should be proactive, take away the keys and help them get a sober ride home.

Contact the Marathon County Dispatch Center at 715-261-1200 if anyone spots a drunk driver. For more information on impaired driving, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.