Tribal officers join crackdown on drunk driving
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
News from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Police
PABLO – From mid-August through Labor Day, officers of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Police will increase patrols in an effort to reduce drunk driving deaths. Police officers are taking extra shifts to prevent hazardous driving. Their goal is to get impaired drivers off the road before they hurt themselves or someone else.
“Our officers want to see an end to careless decisions that cost lives,” Police Chief Craig Couture said.
Alcohol was involved in every one of the seven Flathead Reservation crash fatalities from 2009 through 2011. More than 86 percent of drivers in reported vehicle crashes on the reservation during those three years were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“That is almost 200 crashes that may not have happened if the driver had been sober and alert,” Couture said.
The police department on the Flathead Reservation is one of many law enforcement agencies participating in nationwide high-visibility enforcement leading up to the Labor Day holiday. “If you know you are going to be driving, alcohol should be off-limits. A few drinks makes you a serious risk to yourself, your passengers and other travelers—plan ahead for a sober driver or don’t get behind the wheel. If you’re not driving, don’t get into a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking alcohol,” Couture added.
