DUI Enforcement in Greenwich Over 4th of July Holiday Weekend

During the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, the Greenwich Police Department will increase staffing levels with over two dozen officers assigned to DUI enforcement.  These officers will be conducting roving patrols and paying particular attention to key locations throughout town and at various hours of the day. This year, the Fourth comes on a Saturday, so Friday, July 3, is the Federal holiday and observance. That means the Fourth of July weekend starts at 6 p.m. Thursday and extends to 5:59 a.m. Monday morning, July 6.

According to the NHTSA, Alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion annually.  In 2012, this easily avoidable crime resulted in more than 10,000 death in alcohol-impaired driving crashes or one every 51 minutes.

If you are going to drink alcohol plan ahead.  Choose a designated driver or use a taxi service.  Planning is key because after consuming alcohol, you might believe that you are ‘okay to drive’ when you’re impaired. Alcohol not only impairs your ability to drive, it impairs your judgment about whether you can or should drive.  The reality is you don’t have to be wasted to be a menace to everyone around you on the highways. That’s why the Greenwich Police Department is reminding all drivers that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving and that Driving while High will get you a DUI.

If you are the hosting a party, think about your responsibility to your guests and offer non-alcoholic beverages. If you are serving alcohol, have plenty of food for your party goers. A full stomach can slow the rate of alcohol absorption.

Pay attention to your guests’ alcohol intake and behavior. If someone has had a lot to drink or seems even the slightest bit intoxicated offer to make arrangements to spend the night or a cab ride home and take their keys if you have too.

Lastly, stop serving alcohol well before the party ends  and never let anyone “take one for the road.”