Michigan State Police Stepping Up DUI Enforcement over Labor Day Weekend

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If you’re celebrating summer’s last hurrah with adult beverages and have one too many to legally drive, chances are good that your holiday fun could be deflated with a DUI.

Michigan State Police are joining troopers across the country in the international traffic safety initiative Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort). The enhanced enforcement runs from 6 p.m. Friday Sept. 4, through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7.

“During this last week of summer, keep safety first by driving and boating sober, wearing helmets and reflective gear when biking and riding motorcycles, and always wearing a seat belt,” Etue said.

Last year, six people died in six fatal crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Operation C.A.R.E. was formed to deter highway fatalities including those caused by aggressive driving, impaired driving, and failure to use occupant restraints.

Operation C.A.R.E. began in 1977 as a collaborative effort between the MSP and the Indiana State Police and is one of the nation’s longest-running traffic safety initiatives.

Today, it includes state police and highway patrol agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Quebec Police Force and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Here’s what you need to know about drinking and driving in Michigan.

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Photo via Flickr/Creative Commons