By: Rebecca Hudson
Murray County News Staffwriter
A fun night on the town can turn out to be anything but a joy ride if there is too much alcohol and a set of car keys involved. In fact all too often the result is death. More than 25,000 drivers are arrested for DWI in Minnesota every year and in the span of five years (2010-2014), there were 479 drunk driving-related traffic deaths.
The numbers are indeed sobering, yet every year there are countless people are killed in this manner. In addition to being a deadly combination, DWI arrests can lead to loss of license, mandatory use of ignition interlock and permanent loss of the privilege to drive.
That is the precise mission of the Southwest Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Coalition: to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the state’s roads and move toward zero deaths using education, enforcement, engineering and emergency medical/trauma services. A division of the State’s cornerstone traffic safety program, Minnesota TZD that was formed in 2003. The area coalition has been gathering steam and is about to launch the Joyride program locally through collaboration between state agencies and local organizations.
The coalition held a public informational meeting last week at the Murray County Central high school auditorium and outlined plans in place for implementing the Joyride program in Murray County. Southwest Minnesota Regional TZD Coordinator Annette Larson noted that implementation of the Joyride program throughout the state has made an impact but there is still a serious problem and a long way to go to zero deaths on the road.
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