State police looking for drunk drivers

BLOOMING GROVE — In order to help protect the traveling public from intoxicated drivers, the state police based at Blooming Grove will be conducting DUI sobriety checkpoints and DUI roving patrols over the weekend of April 16-18. To prevent and deter drinking and driving this weekend, those sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols will be conducted with a zero tolerance enforcement policy. In Pennsylvania, drinking and driving remains a top safety issue. From recent PennDOT statistics, over 14,500 DUI crashes occur annually on Pennsylvania roadways and highways killing 544 people and injuring 13,454 others. On average, DUI related crashes amount to 40 each day with 1.4 deaths and 37 persons injured. Of all crashes occurring annually a DUI crash is five times more likely to result in death than those not related to alcohol. Motorists should consider that PA DUI laws prescribe a legal limit of ,08% blood alcohol concentration (BAG). DUI is a misdemeanor offense and penalties can range from a $300 fine with six months probation to fines of $5,000 with prison sentences of up to five years. Sentences can include driver’s license suspensions of up to 18 months, attendance at Alcohol Highway Safety Schools and mandatory Ignition Interlock Systems.