(Richmond, VA, Thursday, December 20, 2018) – With the holiday season in full swing, it is important to remember that alcohol and driving can be a deadly combination. The percentage of highway deaths related to alcohol spikes each year during the month of December.

Checkpoint Strikeforce partners with the Virginia DMV in a research-based multi-state, zero tolerance initiative designed to get impaired drivers off the roads using checkpoints and patrols along with education about the dangers and consequences of driving while intoxicated.

George Bishop, Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Highway Safety Office Department of Motor Vehicles, explains the significance on the campaign in Virginia.

SOUNDBITE #1:

ACCORDING TO STATEWIDE RESEARCH, THOSE WHO ARE MOST LIKELY TO DRINK AND DRIVE ARE TWENTY-ONE TO THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD MALES. A RECENT SURVEY SHOWED THAT EVEN THOUGH EIGHTY-TWO PERCENT OF VIRGINIANS IN THAT DEMOGRAPHIC BELIEVE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE A PLAN TO GET HOME SAFELY BEFORE YOU GO OUT FOR THE NIGHT, LESS THAN TWO-THIRDS FREQUENTLY PLAN AHEAD FOR A SAFE RIDE HOME. THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, CHECKPOINT STRIKEFORCE IS REMINDING THOSE WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK TO ACT LIKE IT, AND PLAN A SAFE RIDE HOME, OR LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL CATCH YOU.

 SOUNDBITE #2:

WHILE VIRGINIA IS LEADING THE NATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING, TWO-HUNDRED-FORTY-EIGHT PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES AS A RESULT OF DRINKING-RELATED INCIDENTS IN TWO-THOUSAND-SEVENTEEN. AND, MORE THAN EIGHTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE WERE CONVICTED OF A D-U-I IN THE COMMONWEALTH. THE PURPOSE OF THE ‘ACT LIKE IT’ PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AND INCREASED LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTED BY CHECKPOINT STRIKEFORCE OVER THE HOLIDAYS IS TO SAVE LIVES—PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

To learn more, visit www.actlikeit.org