Full Notification

Over the past week, two Middleton Police squad cars have been damaged after drunk drivers crashed into them. Last Sunday, January 19, 2020, at 2:41AM, Officer Tim Francis was on a traffic stop on Greenway Blvd when his squad car was rear-ended by a drunk driver. This morning, Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 2:25AM, Sergeant Tyler Loether was patrolling on Pleasant View Road when the squad car he was driving was struck nearly head-on by an oncoming vehicle driven by a drunk driver. Fortunately, no one was injured in either crash, however they each could have been much worse.

This is yet another example of the real dangers of driving impaired. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 10,511 deaths from drunk driving crashes in 2018. Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes; that's one person every 50 minutes. In 2010, the most recent year for which cost data is available, these deaths and damages contributed to a cost of $44 billion that year.

BEING A RESPONSIBLE DRIVER IS SIMPLE: IF YOU HAVE BEEN DRINKING, DO NOT DRIVE. PERIOD.
1. Plan your safe ride home before you start to drink, choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver.
2. If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Take their keys and help them arrange a sober ride home.
3. If you drink, do not drive for any reason. Call a taxi or a sober friend.
4. If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.
5. Always wear your seat belt — it’s your best defense against impaired drivers.

If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement. Your actions could help save a life. Maybe even your own.