News  ABCC to Target Bars Selling Alcohol to Drunk Drivers

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC), in conjunction with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), will crackdown on impaired driving this weekend, Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced today. The 2015 national campaign, "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over", is in effect through September 7.

The ABCC will focus enforcement efforts at bars throughout the Commonwealth known to have sold alcohol to convicted drunk drivers.

“This enforcement supports safer roads and highways throughout Massachusetts,” Treasurer Goldberg said. “Our efforts prevent the sale of alcohol to intoxicated individuals who could place the driving public at risk, while also establishing a long-term deterrence for bar owners from over-serving.”

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol is involved in 40 percent of traffic crash fatalities resulting in 17,013 deaths and injuring an estimated 275,000 people annually. Data indicates that well over 50 percent of drunk driving arrests originate at bars.

In addition to police stopping impaired drivers on the roads, the ABCC’s Sale to Intoxicated Persons (SIP) enforcement program is considered an effective tool by Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) officials nationwide.
This weekend, the ABCC will also be working with police departments that have identified high risk locations in their communities.

The "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" initiative is funded by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS) Highway Safety Division (HSD) in conjunction with the ABCC and local law enforcement.