From July 3 through July 12, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, U of M Department of Public Safety and Pittsfield Department of Public Safety will step up enforcement and be on the lookout for impaired drivers throughout the county.
These agencies are employing the Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) strategy. The DDACTS philosophy engages analysis of crime and traffic data to identify “hot spot” areas, by using geo-mapping, with the highest occurrence of crime and traffic problems.
This drives the deployment of police resources in those areas for the greatest effect in improving the community’s quality of life and reducing the social harm caused by criminal activity and traffic crashes. It identifies high-visibility traffic enforcement as a proven countermeasure to address both crime and traffic safety problems, according to a press release.
To learn more about DDACTS, click here.
Police will work over 300 hours in the county designated for drunk driving enforcement. Enforcement is paid by the federal traffic safety funds administrated by the Office of Highway Safety planning (OHSP).
During last year’s Fourth of July drunk driving crackdown, 115 motorists were arrested for drunk driving as a result of extra patrols. There were 19 traffic deaths over that holiday period; more than 40 percent of those deaths involved alcohol.
In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Under the state’s high BAC law, motorists face enhanced penalties if a first-time arrest is for a .17 BAC or higher.
This project is part of Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013.
