DUI/SRAD Task Force
Impaired driving is a serious problem in Ohio. While fewer than 1 in 10 crashes in Cuyahoga County is alcohol-related, 1 in every 3 traffic crash deaths involves an impaired driver. “Drinking and driving exacts a tragic toll on our community, yet Northeast Ohioans still tend to take pride in a hard-drinking, blue collar, “Drew Carey” image,” says Kathryn Wesolowski, Program Manager for the Rainbow Injury Prevention Center. “Too often, driving under the influence is the object of jokes or is viewed as a right of passage or as something that nearly everyone has done at least once.” Part of the Cuyahoga County DUI Reduction Task Force’s mission is to change those attitudes and make Greater Clevelanders think twice about getting behind the wheel after having a few drinks.
How does Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital do that? By working to educate the public and change attitudes through billboard messages, public service announcements, media stories, and other efforts that highlight the dangers of impaired driving and make drinking and driving less socially acceptable. The Rainbow Injury Prevention Center spearheads coordinated, visible law enforcement crackdowns that use saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints to identify impaired drivers and get them off the road before they can hurt themselves or someone else.
At sobriety checkpoints, law enforcement officers evaluate drivers for indications of alcohol or drug impairment. Signs clearly mark the upcoming checkpoint well in advance and vehicles are stopped in a predetermined sequence, such as every other vehicle or every fifth vehicle. A well-conducted checkpoint should not delay law-abiding motorists any more than a stop at a typical red light. Saturation patrols, in contrast, involve increased enforcement targeting a specific geographic area to identify and arrest impaired drivers, with officers looking for signs of impaired driving, like excessive speeding, weaving, or driving left of center.
“People are often surprised by the amount of media attention surrounding checkpoints and the number of signs that alert motorists that a checkpoint is ahead,” notes Chrystal Gullett, Coordinator of the Cuyahoga County DUI Reduction Task Force. “These people are concerned that we give drunk drivers too much warning and too many opportunities to get away.” The point of a properly conducted checkpoint isn’t to surprise or trick people, however. Both checkpoints and saturation patrols work as deterrents only by being highly visible and projecting the message that police are serious about DUI enforcement. “If people believe this message,” says Ms. Gullett, “they will think twice before getting behind the wheel after they’ve been drinking. That’s why we work with the member agencies of the Cuyahoga County DUI Reduction Task Force to make sure checkpoints are well publicized and get plenty of media exposure.”
The Task Force’s efforts aren’t all about ferreting out and punishing those who break the law; they’re also about convincing people not to break the law in the first place. “For some people, the threat of a ticket or an arrest—something that will hit them in their pocketbooks or seriously disrupt their lives—is the only thing that will work,” concedes Ms. Wesolowski, “but most people want to do the right thing. They just don’t give much thought to drinking and driving, or perhaps they think that having one or two drinks doesn’t effect their driving abilities.” In Ohio, the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is .08; at .08, driver reaction time, visual function, information processing and judgment are seriously impaired—even if you don’t feel drunk. That’s why Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital works with local restaurants and bars, sports venues, and other places where people combine alcohol with entertainment, to encourage people to make smart choices: if you’re going to be drinking, get a designated driver, take a cab or public transportation, or stay put.
By working to keep impaired drivers off the road, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and the Cuyahoga County DUI Reduction Task Force are helping to ensure that more children—and more mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents—will make it home safely to their families.
Updated on:
May 8, 2008
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