“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”
After much success with the previous statewide drunk driving crackdown, Michigan law enforcement has decided to kick off a new campaign – “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” – which began on Friday August 15th and doesn’t end until September 1st.
This particular campaign involves law enforcement personnel from forty counties across the state, including 150 local police departments, sheriff offices, and Michigan State Police posts. It is planned to span a period that includes the Labor day weekend, and will be focused on increased patrols for drunk drivers and drivers not wearing their seat belts.
This campaign differs slightly in it’s approach from former drunk driving awareness campaigns, in that it has a new and different approach. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning has designed a series of eye-catching but fictitious beer labels, all produced by the “Traffic Safety Brewing Company”, with the intention of reminding drivers to think before they drink.
Beverages like the “Buckle Up IPA”, “Call a Cab Cider”, “Phone A Friend Porter” and “Left My Keys at Home Lager” are examples of the safety-themed brews intended to remind drivers to drink responsibly. “We hope it serves as a conversation starter and a reminder to make responsible choices,” said Melody Kindraka, communications director for the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP).
These clever spoof brews were developed by the Michigan OHSP in an attempt to create a direct and positive link between individual responsibility and alcohol consumption. In a unique partnership with the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, the list of “traffic safety six-packs” have been distributed to their more than 1,100 members to promote safety and responsible drinking among patrons.
“We don’t have a problem with people going out and drinking and having a good time, but when you’re doing that, you’ve got to make those right decisions. If you’re going to get behind the wheel (after drinking) that’s a poor decision.” said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham in a recent statement explaining the intentions of the agencies involved in the crackdown. “Plan ahead. Have a designated driver. Have a cab, have a limo service.”