Annual “Booze and Belts” campaign to begin Dec. 13th

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- To make streets and highways safer during the upcoming holiday season, law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin will mobilize for the annual “Booze and Belts” campaign from Friday, December 13, to Saturday, December 21.

“Alcohol-related crashes killed 223 people in Wisconsin and injured nearly 3,000 last year. In addition, more than half of the drivers and passengers killed in crashes last year were unbuckled,” says David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “That’s why law enforcement agencies are cracking down on impaired and unbuckled motorists. Last year in Wisconsin, there were nearly 27,000 convictions for drunken driving and more than 100,000 for failure to fasten a seat belt.

According to Pabst, the goal of law enforcement officers during Booze and Belts and throughout the year is to save lives and reduce injuries by getting motorists to buckle up and drive sober—not to issue more tickets or make more arrests.

“For all of us, the best gift we can give our loved ones is to ensure they come together to celebrate the holidays rather than mourn a needless injury or death,” Pabst says. “We all must work together to attain zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin, and there’s no better time of year to make progress toward that goal than right now.”