New road-safety campaign off

to a good start

July 26, 2005

If the third weekend of a 10-month statewide law enforcement effort to keep drunk and impaired drivers off Alaska roads is any indication, state troopers and local police are onto something good.

The "You Drink and Drive, You Lose" campaign steps up law enforcement presence in selected areas of the state each weekend to monitor roads and generally increase awareness of the program. Over the weekend, troopers in Palmer joined with police departments in Palmer, Anchorage and Soldotna, as well as with Soldotna-area troopers to participate in the campaign.

The special patrols by the Palmer trooper team netted five DUI arrests. Palmer police had not reported their results by Monday afternoon, but the other participating agencies also reported success in increasing drunken-driving arrests.

To those who navigate the area's roads sober and alert, especially during the late-night weekend hours, the news that highways seem to be becoming safer should be encouraging. For anyone who may consider getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, the news, hopefully, will be sobering.

Lt. Nancy Reeder, of the Anchorage Police Department, summed up the significance of the fledgling road-safety campaign. "We're hoping that people are beginning to see what's happening here," she said. "Every weekend we're going to be nabbing a few more drunk drivers. 'You Drink and Drive, You Lose' is more than just a slogan, it's the truth in Alaska."

It's a truth that all drivers, literally, can live with. The state Department of Transportation noted earlier this month that fatalities are down significantly over the first half of the year compared with previous years. Officials are hopeful that the trend will continue, and efforts like the one under way now will surely help.

The You Drink and Drive, You Lose campaign continues through April. The Wasilla Police Department will participate during the upcoming weekend, along with troopers and local law enforcement in Seward, Kenai and Fairbanks.

We urge all Valley residents to put safety first when they head out on the road.