It’s the holiday season, and for a great many reasons that means that Missouri motorists will be travelling and consuming alcohol at an elevated rate. For the rest of December and even into mid-January, holiday parties and family gatherings will mix intoxication with driving. Unfortunately, for some on the road over the upcoming weeks, a drunk driving charge will become a reality.

According to Florissant police, 2011 saw 234 people killed and 945 others seriously injured as a result of auto collisions in which at least one driver was intoxicated. In an effort to reduce these numbers as 2012 comes to a close, the St. Louis-area department is stepping up DWI and DUI enforcement, participating in the Holiday DWI Enforcement Campaign, a program funded by Missouri’s Department of Transportation and Highway safety.

This week in particular will see heightened patrols and stops from officers. The Florissant Chief of Police remarked last week that Dec. 10-16 will feature a “focus on reducing deaths and serious injuries caused by impaired drivers.”

DWI charges carry serious penalties in Missouri. A first conviction can suspend one’s license for 30-60 days, while repeat convictions can bring on up to a $5,000 fine, up to seven years’ jail time, and a possible decade-long loss of driving rights.

While the best solution to problems of intoxicated holiday driving to is always designate a sober driver, mistakes do happen and drunk driving charges can be filed against even those who typically responsible and safe in their driving habits. Be it in Florissant, St. Louis, or elsewhere, if a drunk driving charge should come about, a DWI/DUI defense lawyer can help better the chance of lessened charges and a happier holidays.

Source: Florissant Patch, “Holiday Crackdown: Florissant Police Increase DWI, Impaired Driving Enforcement,” Angel Atkinson, Dec. 5, 2012

• As festivities ramp up, don’t be left in the cold by a DWI conviction. For information on how to avoid strict sentencing, contact our St. Louis DWI law page.