May 24, 2006
HEALEY CALLS FOR SAFE HOLIDAY WEEKEND DRIVING
State Police launch mobile arrest processing vehicle to make roadways safer this summer
Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey joined law enforcement officials today to unveil the latest advancement to combat drunk driving in Massachusetts, an arrest processing vehicle, known as the B.A.T. (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobile. Healey encouraged Massachusetts residents to buckle up and be sober before getting behind the wheel over the Memorial Day weekend.
“To prevent senseless tragedies on our roadways, Massachusetts motorists need to be particularly careful this Memorial Day weekend when there are typically higher rates of accidents,” said Healey. “State and local police are working together to ensure drunk drivers who put innocent lives in danger face the tough penalties put in place with the passage of Melanie’s Law.”
The B.A.T. (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobile will enable state and local police to set up more sobriety checkpoints throughout Massachusetts. This mobile police station allows law enforcement officers to process arrests at a faster rate while having additional manpower available to arrest more drunk drivers who threaten the safety of motorists.
The 40-foot-long B.A.T. mobile is located on the site of a sobriety checkpoint to provide command, arrest, and detention capabilities. The new tool was funded through a $378,000 Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau grant along with $80,000 in State Police funds. State and local police will hold joint sobriety checkpoints using the B.A.T. mobile primarily during You Drink & Drive. You Lose. mobilizations around the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.
“This is a powerful new tool to enable the State Police and local police partners to enhance their ability to apprehend impaired drivers,” said Colonel Thomas Robbins. “With an average of 270 people being arrested each week across the Commonwealth for drunk driving, it is clear we need more resources to improve the safety of our roadways.”
Preliminary research shows that high-risk drivers are getting the message that the Commonwealth is cracking down on drunk drivers, particularly on repeat drunk drivers. In October 2005, Governor Mitt Romney put tough drunk driving laws on the books when he signed Melanie’s Bill into law.
When comparing the first six months since Melanie’s Law went into effect to a similar time period one year earlier - October 28, 2004 to April 30, 2005 and October 28, 2005 to April 30, 2006 – the number of repeat offenders arrested again for OUI declined from 5,591 to 4,550, a 19 percent drop.
In addition, the number of drunk driving arrests, both first-time offender arrests and repeat offenders, rose from 6,692 to 7,234, an 8.1 percent increase. Furthermore, the number of first-time offender arrests as a percentage of the total number of OUI arrests increased from 16.5 percent to 37 percent.
To enhance the impact of the current Click It or Ticket Mobilization that runs through June 4, the State Police will conduct an “Operation Zero Tolerance”on May 25 and 26. This effort is designed to reduce dangerous driving in the days leading up to the holiday travel period. All available State Police personnel will work in enforcement teams concentrating on major traffic corridors, taking a “Zero Tolerance” approach to dangerous driving behaviors.
“It’s well-proven that wearing a safety belt is your best defense against death or injury in a passenger vehicle crash, yet in Massachusetts we lag 17 percent behind the national use rate,” said Caroline Hymoff, Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau. “Our Click It or Ticket Mobilizations are needed to get more people to buckle up.”
To learn more about the traffic safety initiatives of the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau and Massachusetts State Police, go to www.mass.gov/ghsb or www.mass.gov/msp .
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