Crime & Safety

'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' Campaign Targets Impaired Drivers Aug. 16-Sept. 2

Extra DUI patrols will be in place throughout the Puget Sound region, and police say they are looking for people driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission's annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign begins Friday and will include extra patrols from law enforcement agencies around the Puget Sound region.


Police will be looking for drivers under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs from Aug. 16 to Sept. 2, a time when many people will be traveling for vacation or other recreational purposes.

A news release from the WTSC emphasizes that driving under the influence of marijuana remains illegal in Washington state:

Even though Washington legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older, it is still illegal and dangerous to drive under the influence of marijuana. Studies have found that marijuana-positive drivers are twice as likely to crash as other drivers. Marijuana use can slow reaction time, decrease the ability of a driver to maintain lane position, and diminish the ability to pay attention to the tasks of driving. It also interferes with a driver’s ability to perform divided-attention tasks, such as steering and maintaining vehicle speed at the same time.

Officers can tell when a driver is experiencing other effects of marijuana influence such as relaxed inhibitions, altered perception of time and distance, disorientation, incomplete thought processes and increased pulse.

State law defines marijuana DUI as having 5 or more nanograms of THC per millimeter of blood within two hours of driving.

For more information, visit the WTSC's website.


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