State police crack down on drinking and driving

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

@BBuonoABC6

Rhode Island State Police are warning drivers that they are stepping up patrols and cracking down on drinking and driving ahead of Labor Day.

"I keep that in the back of my mind… every second… every day,” said Creamer as he explained why he joined the organization. "There was a boy that I had known in high school that was killed by a drunk driver and there were other issues around drunk driving and underage drinking,” said Creamer.

And unfortunately, the problem is only getting worse. Last year, 15 people in Rhode Island alone were killed in a drunk driving crash.

"It’s become an epidemic problem,” said Corporal Jason Lawton of Rhode Island State Police.

That’s why starting this weekend, Rhode Island State Police are teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There will be more officers working overtime patrolling the roads specifically looking for drunk drivers.

"We increase our patrols specifically geared towards DUI enforcement,” said Lawton.

Drivers can expect to see more marked and unmarked police cars on the roads. If they find a driver who’s been drinking, they have a zero tolerance policy.

"That person will face up to one year imprisonment, up to a $400 fine, three to six month loss of license,” said Lawton.

Police say besides raising awareness, their goal is to drastically reduce the number of deaths caused by drunk driving.

"It’s something that we as citizens can really try and stop,” said Creamer.

This period of increased patrols lasts until September 5th. State Police say during their first weekend of patrols, they made seven DUI arrests.

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