Captain Jason Berry
Government and Media Relations
(360) 596-4010 – office
(360) 596-4015 – fax
http://www.wsp.wa.gov
*** For Immediate Release***
Date:
December 15, 2011
Contact:
Trooper Keith Leary
Phone:
425-508-0793
E-mail:
Keith.Leary@wsp.wa.gov
“Holiday DUI Emphasis: Night of 1,000 Stars 2011”
Snohomish, Skagit, Island, Whatcom Counties - The Washington State Patrol will join City and County police agencies throughout Washington State Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16th-17th, for the 21st annual “Night of a 1,000 Stars” traffic safety emphasis patrol. A WSP camera equipped airplane and the Mobile Impaired Driving Unit’s Motor Home will also be used for the event.
The primary purpose of this safety patrol is to remove impaired drivers from the roads. In addition, officers will be on the lookout for people who speed, drive aggressively, fail to wear their seatbelt or violate other traffic laws.
The three main causes of death and injury are impaired driving, speeding, and failure to buckle up. We want to do all we can to get people to take the responsibility themselves to stay off the roads after drinking.
"DUI arrests can be embarrassing and expensive, but they're easy to prevent," said WSP District 7 Captain Jeff Sass. "If you're drinking, hand your keys over to a designated sober driver, or call a taxi or sober friend for a ride home. Don't risk an arrest – or worse, a serious injury or even death."
The name Night of a 1000 stars derives from the badges worn by the nearly 1,000 officers who will be patrolling throughout Washington State on these dates, looking for impaired drivers.