For release 12/15/06

Canton Police Department will join nearly 500 Michigan law enforcement agencies during a nationwide You Drink & Drive. You Lose. drunk driving crackdown. This crackdown will run through the beginning of the new year.

"The intent of the program is to use aggressive enforcement to proactively address the problem of impaired driving. Statistics continually show an increase of alcohol-related crashes during the holiday season," said Canton Police Sergeant Jerry Hardesty.

In Michigan, a motorist can be arrested for drunk driving with a .08 blood alcohol level or higher. A drunk driving conviction carries with it an assortment of penalties, including court costs and fines, increased car insurance rates, legal fees, and $2,000 for the driver responsibility fees program.

"Outweighing the financial costs are the emotional and psychological impacts associated with drunk driving accidents. Many lives are changed forever when someone is seriously injured or killed in an alcohol-related crash," Hardesty adds.