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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