RICHMOND – As we head into the final weekend of unofficial summer celebrations – Labor Day – the commonwealth of Virginia has rolled out enhancements to its long-running “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Backed by data from the market-research firm Dynata, this iteration of the 23-year-old program features a website called “What’s the Damage?” that puts a more financial-focused spin on the dangers of drunk driving. At the centerpiece of the campaign is a list of costs associated with impaired driving that resembles a bar tab:
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- Court costs $300
- Car repairs $3,512.68
- Insurance increase $1,203.42
- Attorney fees $5,250
- DUI fine $1,000
- Drinks $86.37
The tab surcharge is $11,352.47, the photo shows.
“Drinking and driving costs more than your drinks,” the top of the tab reads.
The campaign is a partnership between the state Department of Motor Vehicles and the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP).
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Intensified enforcement
In announcing the new campaign Monday, officials said that 130 law-enforcement agencies statewide will be patrolling highways, roads and streets between now and Sept. 2, which is Labor Day. Ninety-five sobriety checkpoints and 610 individual saturation patrols will be out there.
Since the campaign started in 2002, Virginia has seen overall drops in alcohol-related crashes (38%), deaths (18%) and injuries (46%). But a jump in the number of deaths from 2022 to 2023 prompted state officials to come up with a new approach.
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Last year, Virginia recorded 6,979 alcohol-related crashes, resulting in 293 deaths and 4,400 people injured, according to the “What’s the Damage?” website. The death count is 6.9% higher than in 2022. Of the deaths, 180 of them were drunk drivers.
“Virginia’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is a multi-faceted effort to prevent and stop impaired driving in the commonwealth via both stepped-up law enforcement to identify and apprehend impaired drivers and, in tandem, a public education campaign aimed at preventing impaired driving before it begins,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“Drunk driving is a gamble with lives, where the stakes are too high and the consequences unforgiving,”DMV commissioner Gerald Lackeyadded in the same statement. “In this new research-based campaign, we highlight the substantial costs of drunk driving, aiming to make the financial impact a powerful motivator. Yet, beyond the wallet, we reveal the true cost of reckless behavior – potentially the loss of your own life or someone else’s.”
New audience targeted
This year’s campaign also has a new targeted audience – young men between the ages of 21-35. That group was chosen because studies found it to be the group most likely to try to drive home after drinking.
Dynata surveyed 256 Virginia drivers. While 92% said they believed it was important to have a safe-driving plan, less than half of them – 46% – admitted they do not always plan ahead for a designated driver.
State Police get involved, too
Monday afternoon, the Virginia State Police announced it will complement the local initiative by participating in Operation Crash Awareness Reduction Effort (CARE). In addition to focusing on impaired driving, the nationwide program also puts the spotlight on speeders and motorists who do not use seat belts or child-safety seats.
“When Virginians choose to get behind the wheel after drinking, they risk their lives and the lives of others,” VSP superintendent Col. Gary Suttle said in the statement.
State Police participation begins Aug. 30 and runs through Labor Day.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: A steep price to pay: Virginia's new safety campaign hits drunk drivers right in wallet
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