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CNN Live At Daybreak

Nationwide Effort to Crack Down on Drunk Driving

Aired July 07, 2003 - 05:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you were on the roads over the past weekend, you probably noticed an increased police presence.
And as CNN's Patty Davis explains, it's all part of a nationwide effort to crack down on drunk driving before it's too late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you been drinking today, sir?

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a busy night at this sobriety checkpoint in Washington, D.C., six arrests so far, and it's still early.

LT. PATRICK BURKE, D.C. TRAFFIC COORDINATOR: It's not a real good time to start. There's just too many impaired drivers on the road.

DAVIS: Busy here, too, at this daytime checkpoint in Mesa, Arizona.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you consume any alcohol today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a drop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a drop.

DAVIS: The checkpoints, along with this television ad, are part of a new $11 million government campaign to stop drunk driving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM COMMERCIAL)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You drink, you drive, you lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: The ad, running during TV shows such as ESPN's Sports Center, is focused on men aged 21 to 34. The federal government says they are the most likely to drive impaired. After years of declines in alcohol related traffic deaths, the numbers are now heading higher -- 18,000 deaths last year, the highest in 10 years. U.S. traffic safety officials say Americans have become complacent, thinking the problem has been solved.

OTIS COX, NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION: Well, it has not been solved and there's a lot we can do. We all have a responsibility of changing the way we think and the way we act on the highways.

DAVIS: But some say there's a better way to motivate people not to drive drunk.

CLARENCE DITLOW, CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY: Moving to .08 blood alcohol levels, which we don't have in every state, is far more effective than advertising.

DAVIS: According to the government, alcohol related crashes kill one person every 33 minutes.

BILL PETERS, MESA, ARIZONA POLICE: They're missiles driving down the road just waiting for a random target to hit.

DAVIS (on camera): Officials say even with all the resources dedicated to homeland security and fighting terrorism, drunk driving is an epidemic and requires no less aggressive action.

Patty Davis, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired July 7, 2003 - 05:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you were on the roads over the past weekend, you probably noticed an increased police presence.
And as CNN's Patty Davis explains, it's all part of a nationwide effort to crack down on drunk driving before it's too late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you been drinking today, sir?

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a busy night at this sobriety checkpoint in Washington, D.C., six arrests so far, and it's still early.

LT. PATRICK BURKE, D.C. TRAFFIC COORDINATOR: It's not a real good time to start. There's just too many impaired drivers on the road.

DAVIS: Busy here, too, at this daytime checkpoint in Mesa, Arizona.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you consume any alcohol today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a drop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a drop.

DAVIS: The checkpoints, along with this television ad, are part of a new $11 million government campaign to stop drunk driving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM COMMERCIAL)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You drink, you drive, you lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: The ad, running during TV shows such as ESPN's Sports Center, is focused on men aged 21 to 34. The federal government says they are the most likely to drive impaired. After years of declines in alcohol related traffic deaths, the numbers are now heading higher -- 18,000 deaths last year, the highest in 10 years. U.S. traffic safety officials say Americans have become complacent, thinking the problem has been solved.

OTIS COX, NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION: Well, it has not been solved and there's a lot we can do. We all have a responsibility of changing the way we think and the way we act on the highways.

DAVIS: But some say there's a better way to motivate people not to drive drunk.

CLARENCE DITLOW, CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY: Moving to .08 blood alcohol levels, which we don't have in every state, is far more effective than advertising.

DAVIS: According to the government, alcohol related crashes kill one person every 33 minutes.

BILL PETERS, MESA, ARIZONA POLICE: They're missiles driving down the road just waiting for a random target to hit.

DAVIS (on camera): Officials say even with all the resources dedicated to homeland security and fighting terrorism, drunk driving is an epidemic and requires no less aggressive action.

Patty Davis, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com