Clallam County Sheriff’s Office report issued June 28, 2012

The Washington State Patrol will be joining the Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department, and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office to conduct special DUI Emphasis Patrol on Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7. The patrols will mark the beginning of several such patrols during the Summer to search for and arrest impaired drivers. The extra law enforcement officers will be working with regularly scheduled personnel to improve driving safety on our highways, roads, and streets.

Drivers are advised always to drive sober, obey the speed limit, and buckle up to avoid costly tickets, traffic crashes, and serious injuries. The emphasis patrols are funded through a special grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and are part of a continuing series of traffic enforcement efforts scheduled throughout the year in Washington State.

Impaired Driving, Speeding, Distracted Driving (cell phone use) and Failure to Buckle Up are the leading causes of traffic deaths in our state. Drivers are reminded that the average cost of a DUI in our state can be more than $5,000 which includes fines, jail costs, attorney fees, probation costs, loss of license, increased insurance rates, and other penalties.

So far this year, there has been only one traffic death in our county. Over the past five years, 2007-2011, the annual average has been just over 7 deaths. Last year, there were a total of 9 deaths. Traffic deaths remain the leading cause of death for those under the age of 25.