Labor Day weekend means it’s time for cops to make threats to the driving public. After last year’s record death toll – 44 people died in crashes across Florida – the cops are making their biggest threat yet. They promise to jail anyone who breaks the law.
Let’s think about that. If you get caught driving drunk, you go to jail. Hmmm.
Do we need a holiday weekend for this concept to be policy? Wouldn’t you expect cops to always jail a drunk driver? Does this mean that they normally just give the drunk a ticket and send him (or her) back on down the road? I certainly hope that isn’t the case.
No, this announcement is yet another way that local and state law enforcement uses to treat citizens like children. As evidence, the Orlando Sentinel gave this quote:
“Don’t drink and drive, because we will fill up 33rd Street if you do,” said Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary, referring to the county jail.
This isn’t just a local or state effort, though. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sponsored a nationwide effort, in conjunction with MADD, and an $11 Million advertising campaign. You know the type – commercials with real cops who are deadly awful at delivering their lines.
The only thing that’s really missing is a catchy name or slogan for this campaign. How about this one from MADD’s site?
DRUNK DRIVING
Over the limit. Under Arrest.
Well, someone thought it was catchy. I think they could do better. The first problem is that there’s no rhyme, as with Click it or Ticket. You need those rhymes for the message to sink into the juvenile mind of most drivers. At least, that seems to be the message from our law enforcement community.
How about these slogans?
- Have a drink and we’ll send you to the clink.
- Bottoms Up! (in more ways than one)
- Abuse your liver and we send you up the river.
- Get hammered. Get slammered./
I don’t mean to belittle the severity of drunk driving. It makes sense that our law enforcement community would raise attention to the problem on holidays when so many people find ways to kill themselves (and others) on the roads. I just wish they could do it without treating us as subjects of a police state. Sometimes, I think their authority goes too much to their heads.