LOCAL AUTHORITIES ISSUE WARNING: YOU DRINK & DRIVE. YOU LOSE.

As families and friends come together all over [CITY/STATE] to celebrate this holiday season, [NAME OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION] wants drivers to know that if they choose to drink and drive, they will lose — possibly in more ways than one.

This holiday season, [NAME OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION] is supporting law enforcement agencies nationwide in taking a major step in intensifying the fight against impaired driving by launching the You Drink & Drive. You Lose. public education campaign.

Between December 17^th and December 19^th , [NAME OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION] will be out in full force to stop impaired drivers. Authorities will conduct saturation patrols and set up sobriety checkpoints and sting operations aimed at preventing the sale of alcohol to minors. Violators will be subject to immediate arrest.

In an effort to prevent impaired driving , [NAME OF SPONSORING AGENCY] will also join local traffic safety partners like [NAMES OF PARTNERS] to raise awareness about the deadly consequences of impaired driving.

Alcohol remains a contributing factor in all too many fatal motor vehicle crashes. Three out of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives. Every 33 minutes there is a fatality and every two minutes an injury due to an alcohol-related crash. While the statistics are staggering, they fail to fully tell the tragic stories of the thousands of families who bear the daily consequences of this crime.

[INSERT LOCAL RELEVANT CRASH STORY]

Lack of public outrage and confusion over what constitutes impaired driving has contributed to the existing gap between public perception and reality. Enforcement periods, like the December holiday effort, reflect [NAME OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION]’s ongoing commitment to eliminating impaired driving, with efforts continuing year-round.

By partnering with national organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and local organizations like [OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS], we hope to save lives in [CITY/STATE] and help reach the national goal of reducing alcohol-related deaths nationwide to no more than 11,000 by the year 2005.

The public has typically been supportive of law enforcement efforts to remove impaired drivers from our roads, and understands that the extra time spent at a sobriety checkpoint is time spent ensuring all of our safety. If [CITY/STATE] hopes for a safer community for our children for today, tomorrow and the next century, we must act now. We must begin by reevaluating our present attitudes toward impaired driving and take action in support of local law enforcement efforts.

This holiday season, do your part — don’t drink and drive. If you do plan to drink, plan ahead and arrange for a designated driver or take a cab. Please join [NAME OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION] in supporting your local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to make our roads safer.

[LOCAL SPOKESPERSON, TITLE]
[SPONSORING ORGANIZATION]