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Police crackdown nets 226 drunken drivers

By John Branton
Published: January 12, 2011, 12:00am

In 2009 there were 41,006 people charged with DUI in Washington. Here’s the breakdown for the past five years:

2009: 41,006

2008: 39,455

2007: 41,569

2006: 42,029

2005: 41,872

Source: Clark County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force

With extra officers from seven police agencies looking for impaired drivers in Clark County during a five-week crackdown, you’d expect a lot of DUI arrests.

You’d be right. The officers arrested 226 motorists, testing their blood-alcohol levels and sending them home with a sober driver or to jail. And with an appointment with a judge.

The latest Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign fielded officers from the Washington State Patrol, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Vancouver Police Department, as well as officers from Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Camas and Washougal, according to a bulletin from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

In 2009 there were 41,006 people charged with DUI in Washington. Here's the breakdown for the past five years:

2009: 41,006

2008: 39,455

2007: 41,569

2006: 42,029

2005: 41,872

Source: Clark County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force

They were assisted by members of the Clark County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force.

Statewide, police arrested 3,577 drivers for DUI, using overtime grants from the commission.

The crackdown ran from Nov. 25 through Jan. 2, the bulletin said.

During the 2009 campaign, officers made 272 DUI arrests in Clark County.

The downsides of drinking and driving are many, including hurting or killing people; about $8,000 or more in fines, court costs and attorney fees; higher insurance premiums; jail or prison time.

Police crackdowns are often publicized in advance, and have been going on for many years, often during holiday times including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But impaired drivers are out there by the thousands, says the traffic safety commission.

In 2009, impaired drivers were involved in 264 traffic deaths in Washington, more than half of the total of 491, the traffic commission says.

“The average blood alcohol level of people arrested in Washington for DUI is about 0.14,” the bulletin says. “That’s almost twice the legal limit of 0.08.”

Drivers can be impaired by other substances besides alcohol, including many kinds of drugs, legal or illegal. A number of police officers have extra training as drug recognition experts, called DREs, and are often called to the scene of traffic stops to evaluate a driver’s impairment.

More information about drunken drivers and highway accidents can be found at the commission’s website, http://www.wtsc.wa.gov/.

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