Mich. Kicks Off Campaign to Curb Drunken Driving

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Michigan is kicking off a campaign aimed at curbing drunken driving.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning says some young men referred to themselves as “professional” drunken drivers during focus groups this year, claiming they were better drivers when drunk. The new campaign being unveiled Thursday aims to dispel those perceptions.

The campaign includes TV ads and billboards. It comes as nearly 160 law enforcement agencies in 26 counties begin stepped-up drunken driving patrols through Sept. 3 during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown.

The state used focus groups to gain insight into why young men drive drunk despite potentially stiff penalties, including jail time.

Seat belt enforcement is planned in Genesee, Kalamazoo, Kent, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Saginaw, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.