The Cape Girardeau police department is going to crack down on underage drunk driving between May 2 and May 13.
This time coincides with graduation and prom ceremonies. Underage youth are a significant proportion of drunk drivers that cause accidents on Missouri roads, according to a Cape GIrardeau PD press release.
Sergeant Kevin Orr says this time of year sees a lot of parties and underage alcohol consumption.
“One is we’re going to conduct a sobriety checkpoint during that time,” Orr said. “And we’ll also have more officers out conducting patrols to bring in intoxicated drivers.”
In addition, police have conducted compliance checks with vendors to make sure they aren’t selling booze to underage drinkers
“You’ve got proms taking place. You have graduations taking place. You have a lot of activities where you have a lot of things going on where there’s lots of drinking going on. You want to focus on removing drunk drivers from the roadway so you don’t have crashes going on,” Orr said.
According to a Cape Girardeau police press release, drunk drivers under the age of 21 killed 77 people and seriously injured 363 in Missouri between 2010 and 2012.
