2017 Labor Day DUI Campaign

The Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with the State of Vermont Governor’s Highway Safety Program, will be conducting increased high visibility traffic enforcement to save lives from 08/18/17 through 09/04/17 during the statewide 2017 Labor Day DUI Campaign.  DUI checkpoints will be conducted throughout this campaign as well as DUI high visibility saturation patrols.

The end of summer is traditionally marked by the Labor Day holiday, a yearly national tribute to the contributions made by American workers to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The long holiday weekend is typically celebrated with picnics, pool parties and barbecues, as family and friends come together to enjoy the last few days of summer. This is also the time of year when our children – our most precious natural resource – typically return to school following their summer vacation. Sadly, the Labor Day holiday weekend is also one of the deadliest, with drunk drivers endangering not only themselves but everyone else on America’s highways.

Impaired driving is one of the deadliest, most often committed, yet preventable crimes committed in our country. In 2015 in the United States, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes; that’s equal to 28 people each day or one person every 51 minutes. Nationally about one-third of all fatalities are the result of impaired driving but here in Vermont the numbers are even more grim; of the 62 roadway deaths in 2016, more than half (37) involved a driver impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both.  More than half of all deaths in Vermont also involve vehicle occupants who did not buckle up! 

High visibility enforcement has been the key to success in Grand Isle County evident in minimal law enforcement response to serious injury crashes or fatalities.  Speeding and distracted driving are the major cause of most crashes in Grand Isle County.  Please continue to help us prevent senseless tragedies!