New Year’s Eve can be one of the biggest party days of the year, but Shawano’s police chief is hoping that everyone can party responsibly without putting their own lives at risk or someone else’s.
To that end, the Shawano Police Department, Shawano County Sheriff’s Department and Menominee County Sheriff’s Department will be doing additional traffic stops during the holidays during the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, checking not only for drivers operating while intoxicated, but also for seat belt use and other traffic-related issues.
Shawano Police Chief Mike Musolff noted that the holidays are a time where people are celebrating with family or traveling, but they’re also the busiest and most dangerous season on roadways. Crashes are possible due to the combination of increased traffic, holiday distractions and winter weather, he said. There’s no prediction of snow currently for New Year’s Eve, with temperatures maxing out a few degrees above freezing.
“Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of serious crashes and fatalities during the holidays,” Musolff said. “So, if anybody out there plans to drink or use substances, plan a sober ride, a designated driver, use a ride service or just stay the night where they’re at. We don’t want to be the killjoy. Have fun, but just be smart about it.”
Musolff said advanced planning is the key to making sure celebrations don’t end in tragedy.
“When you think about it, there’s no excuse for impaired driving,” Musolff said. “You have safe alternatives.”
Ticketing scofflaws is not the goal, according to Musolff. What the goal involves is making sure families make it safely home.
The holiday is reminiscent of the recent bad weather days that have caused road problems, including ice and snow. City officials plan ahead to keep the roads as clear as possible, but drivers usually still have to be careful when planning for travel, according to Musolff. The same rules apply when it comes to planning for parties and celebrations on New Year’s Eve, he said.
“New Year’s Eve is historically one of the deadliest of the year for impaired driving,” Musolff said. “The bars are open — a lot of them are open all night long. That is not necessarily the best thing for people who are going to make bad decisions if they’re going to make a decision to drive. That’s why we push that designated driver to pick you up at the establishment or wherever you’re drinking.”
Musolff said many of the OWI-related crashes end with the drunk driver surviving, but passengers or people in other involved vehicles being killed or severely injured.
“The drunk driver, who is probably a very good person, is now going to have to live with that for the rest of their life,” Musolff said. “If anything deters you from making a bad decision, it should be the fact that you could kill or hurt someone who doesn’t deserve that at all.”
The physical toll is one thing. Even though the first OWI is just a citation in Wisconsin, the costs of having to install an ignition interlock in the vehicle, attorney costs and more can top $10,000.
Musolff also recommended that anyone seeing someone impaired getting ready to drive should speak up in order to prevent a potential tragedy.
“Get the keys away from them,” he said. “You might save a life doing so. What’s the worst thing they’re going to do, call the police on you? The police are going to say, ‘Yeah, you’re drunk. They should have took your keys.’”
Musolff added that Facebook pages in the Shawano area tend to alert people when police are in an area or if they see flashing lights, so those posts tend to deter some from making the decision to drink and drive.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
