NMDOT News:SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico State Police have released results from the Cinco de Mayo DWI crackdown across the state.
Over the course of the Cinco de Mayo weekend, State Police arrested 34 drunk drivers, made 30 other arrests, handled 14 crashes – which included one fatality – and issued over 165 citations for traffic violations.
“There is simply no excuse to drive drunk,” Gov. Martinez said. “Plan ahead, call a taxi, crash at a friend’s house or hail an Uber. When you drink and drive, you put lives on the line – it’s just not worth it.”
The crackdown came on the heels of Martinez unveiling new hard-hitting TV ads to fight DWI. The ads follow a first-time DWI offender as he’s being arrested and moved through the correctional system. Around 40 percent of DWI arrests are first-time offenders who thought having a couple beers at the bar was perfectly fine, only to be arrested later in the evening.
“Our law enforcement officers all over the state are on the lookout for drunk drivers,” State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said. “We’re going to make sure justice is served to the fullest extent of the law – and guess what – if you drink and drive, we will arrest you and it will follow you the rest of your life.”
The Governor has made fighting DWI a top priority. Last year, the Governor enacted legislation that increased penalties against drunk drivers to some of the toughest in the region. She also launched a series of executive initiatives to fight DWI, including: targeting repeat offenders and the establishments that over-serve them and a court monitoring program that placed citizens inside courtrooms in six counties to shed light on how DWI cases are handled.
“DWI continues to put lives in a danger on our roads and highways,” NMDOT Secretary Tom Church said. “I’m grateful to our men and women on the front lines of this battle every day and I will continue to do whatever I can to support their efforts to get drunk drivers off the road.”
The New Mexico State Police continuously strive to make the roadways of our state safe for the general motoring public, and encourage anyone who witnesses unsafe driving to call #ENDWI, or 911 from any phone.
