MCFARLAND, Wis. -- To help ensure that deer hunters make it home safely this year, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (WPMCA) are teaming up to install attention-getting gas-pump toppers at stations around the state warning hunters and others of the dangers of drunken driving, according to a report in the McFarland Thistle.
Because convenience store business spikes during deer-hunting season, WisDOT is supplying more than 150 gas-pump toppers to participating convenience stores through the WPMCA. The stores are donating gas-pump topper space for the messages.
“WPMCA is proud to partner with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on promoting safe driving on the state’s highways during this busy time of year,” said Ken Kearns, chairman of the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. “Since many motorists stop at WPMCA member stores for gas or supplies, it just made sense to raise awareness of the dangers of drunken driving and help reduce traffic deaths in Wisconsin.”
“Instead of risking a drunken driving arrest and possibly a serious or fatal crash, we urge everyone to designate before they celebrate during deer hunting season and throughout the year,” said David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “Our Zero in Wisconsin program’s Drive Sober mobile app can help you designate a sober driver. This mobile app can be downloaded for free by visiting www.ZeroInWisconsin.gov.”
In addition to downloading the Drive Sober app, WisDOT offered these common-sense suggestions to prevent drunken driving:
*If you’re feeling buzzed, you probably are over the 0.08 (alcohol concentration) limit and should not drive.
*Don’t allow friends to drive drunk no matter how much they protest.
*If you see a drunken driver on the road, call 911 and provide as much information as you can.
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