July 3, 2024

NEWS RELEASE

RE: Don’t Risk It, Plan for a Safe Sober Ride

With fourth of July celebrations and summer events in full swing, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies are reminding everyone to plan for a safe ride home. During the 100 deadliest days of summer, between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, the number of fatality crashes are at the highest level with a significant number involving impaired drivers. Already this year, 31 people have been killed in crashes in Idaho since Memorial Day weekend.

This is why planning ahead for a safe ride home is so important. Many people take the time to plan their celebrations, summer trips, and events but fail to plan for a sober driver. Too often people who think they’re ok to drive because they’ve only had a couple of drinks decide to get behind the wheel and take a chance that everything will be ok. However, too often those “buzzed” drivers end up in a serious injury or fatal crash that a brief moment of planning to designate a sober driver or utilize a ride-share or taxi service could have avoided.

Now through July 10th, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies will we joining Law Enforcement from across the state and the Idaho Transportation Department Office of Highway Safety in mobilizing extra resources to stop drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol. With increased summer traffic and events, the risk to our community is greater when impaired drivers are on the road. Deputies will be looking for and responding to reports of impaired drivers in hopes to intervene before tragedy strikes.

Celebrate responsibly and make the smart choice to avoid driving if you’ve been using alcohol or drugs. For more information on safe driving visit www.shift-idaho.org.