Virginia Launches New Effort to Stop Drunk Driving

Today, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program launched a new high visibility effort to reduce drunk driving.

Among a crowd of law enforcement officials and traffic safety advocates, Governor McAuliffe unveiled The Virginia Faces of Drunk Driving website. The governor dedicated the Tumblr site to those taken by drunk driving, as well as survivors and led a remembrance of their lives. The site’s purpose is to deter would-be drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.

“I am committed to reducing drunk driving fatalities by continuing our Commonwealth’s enforcement efforts, and raising awareness with Virginians that we all have a responsibility to keep our Commonwealth safe. With this new site providing intimate portrayals of individuals lost to drunk driving and the tragic burden it places on survivors, our aim is to save lives and stop drunk driving before it starts,” Governor McAuliffe said.

In 2013, Virginia experienced a double-digit percentage (10.48%) increase in drunk driving fatalities as 253 individuals were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes last year. The increase followed five consecutive years of declining drunk driving deaths in the Commonwealth.

Today also marked the launch of a high visibility enforcement initiative in Virginia. State and local police will be stepping up enforcement efforts with a mix of saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and other enforcement and education efforts aimed at the general population and more specifically males aged 21 to 35, a demographic over-represented in alcohol-related traffic crashes last year in Virginia.

The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility proudly supports the Washington Regional Alcohol Program and its longstanding efforts to stop drunk driving and underage drinking in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.