Amherst Police Chief Mike Cawthon recalls scenes he likely will never forget.
“All of us have to deal with the effects of what driving drunk can cause,” Cawthon said. “We have seen so many scenes with fatal results, we have seen the fallout firsthand.”
Amherst Police Department is participating in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign that started Aug. 16 and concludes at the end of September.
The campaign frames the time in which summer comes to a close and many may be enjoying last-minute parties before the winter months set in, Cawthon said.
“We hope that by participating in this campaign, we will be able to deter drunk driving and educate people about the dangers and consequences of it,” he said. “We want folks to be responsible; we want them to have a plan.”
In addition to added patrols throughout the area, the Amherst police teamed up with D And A Towing of South Amherst to put on a display during the campaign of an OVI crash that will sit outside the Police Department, 911 N. Lake St.
“We contacted Dave Vaughn of D And A Towing to come out and bring us a car that was in an OVI crash that we could place in front of the station to continue to show motorists the consequences of driving drunk,” Cawthon said. “We hope that this will continue to show our message of driving sober, and that’s why we continue to participate in kick-off events like this one.”
The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day represent just 27% of the calendar year, but they account for more than a third of all fatal crashes, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The Lorain County Public Health Department also addressed the importance of driving sober.
“We try to recognize the importance of driving sober, and the Amherst Police Department has been a great partner with our Safe Communities Coalition for the past 10 years,” said Erin Murphy, director of health promotion and chronic disease prevention at Lorain County Public Health. “This event is really the essence of what driving drunk can cause and we hope that through this campaign residents in Lorain County and across the nation can understand that.”
