During the month of December 2015, Bonney Lake Police Officers will be conducting special traffic enforcement emphasis patrols looking for impaired drivers and removing them from our roadways. Impaired driving is a leading factor in Washington driving deaths.
In Washington State, impaired driving is defined as:
- driving while under the influence of drugs,
- driving while impaired by alcohol, or
- driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or above.
On Washington roadways, there were 1,221 impairment involved fatal crashes between 2004 and 2008. These crashes resulted in a total of 1,363 deaths, which is an average of 273 deaths per year. This accounts for approximately 46% (1,363 of 2,943) of all traffic deaths during the five year period.
In Pierce County and Bonney Lake we are striving to make a difference to reduce the number of tragically avoidable collisions involving impaired drivers. Extra patrols, education and changes in the law have contributed to Pierce County reducing the number of impaired driving crashes by 42%. Due to this reduction 26 more people will make it home safely for the holidays this season. Our goal is to do all we can to make sure we experience zero traffic related fatality collisions this holiday season so that everybody can make it home safely.
Bonney Lake Police Officers for the month of December, 2015 will be conducting extra impaired driving patrols and will impose a no tolerance policy on these violations in an attempt to reduce motor vehicle collisions involving impaired drivers.
