PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Affiliation wish to remind the group of vital street security ideas forward of the Labor Day vacation weekend. 

Legislation enforcement, freeway security officers and site visitors security advocates gathered at a protected driving occasion in Windfall on Thursday, hosted by AAA Northeast, to boost consciousness of the significance of protected and sober driving this weekend.

“Labor Day weekend is a busy time on our roadways with folks having fun with their final summer season journeys and celebrations,” RIPCA President and Narragansett Police Chief Sean Corrigan mentioned at Thursday’s occasion. “The rise in site visitors this weekend can even result in an increase in roadway fatalities and crashes, and we’re urging everybody touring this weekend to take action safely.”

Labor Day is among the deadliest holidays for motorized vehicle fatalities. Over the previous 5 years, Labor Day weekend crashes in Rhode Island resulted in seven deaths and quite a few different critical accidents.

Throughout the 2020 Labor Day vacation weekend, there have been 530 crash fatalities nationwide and 46% of these fatalities concerned drivers who had been ingesting. Age can be a danger issue — 44% of drivers aged 21-34 who had been killed in crashes over the Labor Day vacation interval in 2020 had blood alcohol concentrations of .08 or greater. Nighttime is a very harmful time to be on the roads with the next price of alcohol impairment amongst drivers concerned in deadly crashes.

Quite a few police departments all through Rhode Island will probably be collaborating within the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Labor Day enforcement interval to take impaired drivers off the roads. The high-visibility enforcement marketing campaign continues by Labor Day.

Drivers are reminded of the next protected alternate options to ingesting and driving:

• Should you plan to drink, make a plan forward of time for a sober journey residence.
• Even if you happen to’ve had just one drink, let somebody who hasn’t been ingesting take you residence, or use public transpiration or a rideshare service. A sober driver is one who doesn’t drink in any respect, not the one who’s had the least to drink.
• Have a pal or member of the family who’s about to drive impaired? Take the keys away and make preparations to get them residence safely.
• Should you see an impaired driver on the street, safely pull over and name 911. 

For extra data on impaired driving, go to nhtsa.gov.

Drivers are additionally reminded to: 

• All the time put on a seat belt, and put on it appropriately. It ought to go over your shoulder and throughout your lap. Seat belts are your finest protection in opposition to unsafe drivers and your finest life-saving device throughout a crash.
• Drive the velocity restrict. It’s unsafe to drive too quick or too sluggish.
• Listen whilst you drive. Maintain your cellphone out of attain, and pull over if you must make a name or ship a textual content.
• Stay conscious of your environment and be careful for pedestrians, bicyclists, and bikes.

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