If you’re over the limit, you’ll be under arrest.

Beginning Aug. 21, Dowagiac Police Department will step up enforcement and be on the lookout for impaired drivers in Dowagiac during the end-of-summer drunk driving crackdown.

Dowagiac Police Department is joining with other law enforcement agencies across the state in cracking down on impaired driving through Labor Day.

“Last year more people died in impaired driving crashes in August than in any other month. The timing of the crackdown also coincides with Michigan’s heavy summer travel season when more people are on the road,” said Officer Stacey Bazan.

Alcohol-involved crashes tend to be more serious than non-drinking crashes and injuries more serious for drivers and passengers who have been drinking.

Extra patrols are part of the national drunk driving Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown and funded with federal traffic safety dollars administered by the Office of Highway Safety Planning.

In Michigan, a motorist can be arrested for drunk driving with a .08 blood alcohol content or higher.

A drunk-driving conviction carries with it an assortment of penalties, including court costs and fines, increased car insurance rates, legal fees and $2,000 in driver responsibility fees.

Last Labor Day weekend, 12 people died in crashes on Michigan roadways.
Four of those fatalities involved alcohol.