By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Cass County Law Enforcement has begun working this month to crack down on drunk driving.
The crack down started on Aug. 18 and will continue through the Labor Day weekend. All of the law enforcement agencies within Cass County are participating in the "You Drink &Drive, You Lose" drunk driving crack down.
This includes the Cass County Sheriff's Office, Dowagiac Police Department, Cassopolis Police Department, Ontwa Township/Edwardsburg Police Department and the Pokagon Band Tribal Police Department.
These agencies will be directing extra patrols throughout the county in an effort to combat drunk driving. Last Labor Day weekend, 14 people died in crashes on Michigan roadways.
Five of those fatalities involved alcohol. In Michigan, 35 percent of traffic fatalities involve alcohol or drugs. In 2005, alcohol and/or drugs played a role in 408 traffic deaths.
A motorist can be arrested for drunk driving with .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 $2000 in driver responsibility fees.
There were 4 persons arrested in Cass County since this mobilization began Friday night.
This patrol is funded through grant funds as well as existing department funds.