VAN BUREN, MO -Between August 21 and September 7 the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration sponsored the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign to reduce incidents of impaired driving leading up to and including Labor Day weekend. In partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies, the National Park Service Traffic Safety Coalition participated in high visibility traffic enforcement initiatives in support of this campaign.
Locally, law enforcement rangers from Ozark National Scenic Riverways participated in eight traffic saturation patrols on park roadways. Locations were chosen based on data analysis suggesting a high probability for serious traffic violations. Law enforcement rangers worked in teams to interdict and arrest impaired drivers and address other serious traffic offenses.The results are as follows:
Traffic Stops/Contacts: 252
Traffic Citations or Criminal Charges: 138
Warnings Documented: 262
Custodial Arrests: 26 (11 Felony;15 Misdemeanor)
Warrants Served: 6
Possession of a Controlled Substance: 74
DWI/DUI: 16
There was also one arrest for Boating While Intoxicated/Under the Influence, one arrest for felony Fleeing to Elude and four illegal firearms seized.
The primary goal of Ozark National Scenic Riverways law enforcement rangers when conducting traffic enforcement is to promote public safety and the efficient flow of vehicular and pedestrian travel on park roadways. To that end, law enforcement rangers continue to proactively interdict impaired drivers.
The mission of the National Park Service Traffic Safety Coalition is to provide for safer park roadways through engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services.
The mission of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes through education, research, safety standards and enforcement.
For more information about Ozark National Scenic Riverways, call (573) 323-4236; visit the park’s Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.
www.nps.gov/ozar
Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves 134 miles of the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork rivers, the surrounding resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.
Learn more at www.nps.gov/ozar. Find us on Facebook @ozarkriverways and on Instagram @ozarkriverwaysnps.
Tags: ozar traffic safety coalition national highway safety transportation administration drive sober or get pulled over
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
