Reading, MA — Chief Mark Segalla announces that the Reading Police Department will be increasing the number of patrols on local roads as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
The initiative is funded through a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division and will continue through the holiday season.
Police urge motorists to be mindful of the responsibility they have to protect the safety of their fellow drivers — as well as the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians — to stay off the road if they are impaired.
Reading Police will have several officers on the lookout for impaired and reckless drivers. Everyone is reminded to never get behind the wheel if they have been drinking and to never get into a vehicle if the driver is impaired.
“There’s simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel while impaired, and our officers will be actively working to stop anyone who does,” Chief Segalla said. “Driving impaired, whether it be by drugs or alcohol, needlessly endangers lives and we are committed to doing our part to prevent a tragedy during the holiday season.”
According to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, 119 people died last year due to drunk driving in Massachusetts. Marijuana or marijuana-type drugs were the most prevalent types of drugs found in drivers killed in crashes in Massachusetts from 2011 to 2015.
The Reading Police Department is joining more than 200 local law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth, as well as the Massachusetts State Police, by enhancing its efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road.
If you are charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you will lose your license and could face jail time and incur the cost of additional fines and expenses.
