From Troy Loeffelhoz

Chief Deputy/Undersheriff

Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department

To the Editor:

The choice is simple: if you’re drinking, don’t drive. But thousands make that dangerous decision every year and it can have deadly consequences. 

Someone is killed or injured in an impaired driving crash every two hours in Wisconsin. Last year, 166 deaths could have been prevented if a drunk driver had not gotten behind the wheel. Another 74 people in Wisconsin were killed in drug-related crashes in 2021. 

As the summer travel season wraps up, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement agencies across the nation are stepping up enforcement in an effort to eliminate impaired driving ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend. 

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign runs from August 17 through September 5. The enforcement and awareness efforts are not just about stopping, citing, or arresting drivers. This is about saving lives and preventing tragedies. 

Impaired driving is a challenge law enforcement cannot take on alone. We need everyone in Wisconsin to do their part. Protect yourself and your passengers by getting a safe ride home. Speak up and discourage people from taking that risk and if you see a driver you suspect is under the influence, call 911. 

Our mission is to stop impaired driving all year long and we will continue those efforts every day we are out patrolling Wisconsin’s roads. Thank you for your support to help keep our communities safe.