LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS URGE USE OF DESIGNATED DRIVERS
Announcement Date: 
2009-03-16

Drivers shouldn't rely on the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day or any other time of the year, law enforcement officials stressed Monday.  "We're here today to encourage people who want to go out tomorrow and have a green beer to come home safely," Elkhart County Prosecutor, Curtis Hill said during a news conference at Between the Buns Restaurant."... If you've been drinking, don't get behind the wheel.  That's the number one, most effective way to stop drunk driving."  John Dawson, co-owner of the Buns, said the restaurant will make the "Hoo-Sier Driver?" wristbands part of its designated driver effort.  A significant number of taverns and establishments in the state will participate in the program, sponsored by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the Governor's Council on Dangerous and Impaired Driving.  At the Buns, the staff gives free soft drinks and will "treat very well those people who are treating others very well" by staying sober to drive, Dawson said.  Attending the event were: Hill, who also serves as chairman of the Governor's Council; Lt. Ed Windbigler and Cpl. Terry Chmiel of the Elkhart Police Department; Assistant Chief Mike McCloughen and Adjutant Joe Brown of the Goshen Police Department; Sgt. Trent Smith of the Indiana State Police; and Capt. Sean Holmes of the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department.  "Most police officers can relate stories to you about working accidents and fatalities involving drunk drivers.  They become impassioned about this because they want to protect their communities, their family and their children," said Brown.  These events increase public awareness about the dangers and penalties associated with drunken driving.  Drivers with blood-alcohol levels of 0.08 percent or greater violate state law and will be prosecuted after their arrest in Elkhart County.  "We look at every aspect to be the most effective we can be," Hill said.  "It's roadblocks.  It's additional patrols.  It's these events.  We look at a variety of situations to provide a solution to this problem.  Our main hope always is that people will be responsible and not mix alcohol with driving."