In anticipation of the number of individuals celebrating New Years this weekend, officers with the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Special Operations Traffic Division will be conducting numerous traffic safety checkpoints and saturation patrols on December 31. The purpose of these patrols and checkpoints is to identify traffic offenders and those who are driving while impaired.
In 2011, Virginia Beach Police charged 2,541 individuals with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. This year, 2012, we have already experienced 13 fatal crashes with 7 of them involving alcohol.
In 2011, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, 245 people were killed and 5,465 people were injured in alcohol related crashes.
These checkpoints represent the Police Department’s efforts to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the roads of Virginia Beach. Those traveling through Virginia Beach may see message boards reminding them to celebrate responsibly. Partygoers that decide to drink should make arrangements to have a designated driver to ensure they return home safely.
For those individuals that have vehicles parked in one of the Municipal Parking Lots located at 2nd, 4th, 19th, 25th streets or Rudee Loop and realize they have had too much to drink, are reminded of the City’s Do Not Tow program. Under the program, individuals can contact a police officer or call 385-5000 to have an officer dispatched to their location where their vehicle will be documented and a “Do Not Tow” sticker will be affixed to their windshield. It allows them to depart the resort area for the night and pick up their vehicle in the morning between 8 a.m. and noon. This is a free service, but drivers MUST obtain their pass/sticker before 2:30 a.m.
There is no excuse for driving drunk and the police department will remain aggressive in its efforts to remove impaired drivers from the city’s roadways.