Gov. Timothy M. Kaine launched the 2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign, a statewide initiative combining enforcement and education efforts to raise public awareness of drunk driving, Thursday. The 2008 campaign begins on the eve of a mid-Atlantic states regional initiative targeting impaired driving on rural roadways.

More than 75 state and local law enforcement agencies across the state are participating in the initiative. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 55 percent of the nation’s 2006 traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads.

“Virginia will continue its tough stance against drunk drivers and we will not allow back road escapes for people driving under the influence,” says Kaine. “We must remain vigilant to decrease these preventable traffic fatalities throughout the state.”

In 2007, there were 378 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Virginia. State data indicates that the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Virginia has remained steady over recent years, a finding that is alarming and troubling to law enforcement officials across the state.

In addition to this weekend’s enhanced enforcement on Virginia’s rural roadways and with Labor Day weekend, historically one of the deadliest drunk driving holiday weekends of the year, right around the corner, Checkpoint Strikeforce has begun a five-month, statewide campaign to reduce the incidence of drunken driving. This statewide campaign combines proactive public education and enforcement efforts in order to raise public awareness of drunk driving.

A public opinion survey of 800 Virginia drivers conducted in July 2008 for Checkpoint Strikeforce by the Richmond-based polling firm MWR Strategies found that drivers continue to strongly support the use of sobriety checkpoints. The majority perceived drunk driving as one of most serious dangers facing drivers. The majority of respondents also identified two-lane rural highways as the most difficult to navigate under the influence and one of the most likely places to be stopped by law enforcement.

For the remainder of 2008, law enforcement agencies in Virginia will hold at least one sobriety checkpoint or saturation patrol each week. Deploying sobriety checkpoints and patrols when and where drunk driving is most likely to occur deters motorists from driving under the influence and arrests those who do.

“The message from law enforcement is as simple as it is clear: if you choose to drink and drive, we will catch you no matter what roadway you take,” says Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent, Virginia State Police.

In addition to sobriety checkpoints and patrols, Virginia’s Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign will include, in combination with other statewide outreach efforts, a $1-million ad campaign to remind citizens of the many dangers and consequences of impaired driving. During the next several months, nearly 25,000 radio and television spots will run throughout the Commonwealth. The campaign is supported by a grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Virginia Highway Safety Office also launched the state's latest effort to encourage the use of designated drivers. The HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers is modeled after a New Jersey-based designated driver effort stemming from the death of John Elliott, a young U.S. Naval Ensign who was killed by a drunk driver.

Along with the Virginia Highway Safety Office, the HERO Campaign will be partnering with Drive Smart Virginia and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association to establish this designated driver program in establishments serving alcohol throughout the Commonwealth.

To listen to the ads and get more information on this campaign, visit the websites below.