Holidays often bring an elevated level of drunk driving. The authorities are looking to crack down on this, and one of the ways that they're going to do it is by targeting bars that provide drinks to those who drive while intoxicated.
The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission announced this plan, saying it would look for bars that have previously been linked to convicted drunk drivers. After establishing which bars were a risk, they would focus more on them to prevent the same thing from happening again.
This is going to be known as the Sale to Intoxicated Persons program. It started just before Thanksgiving, and it is going to run all the way to New Year's Eve. The day prior to Thanksgiving is one of the biggest bar nights in the United States, as is New Year's Eve.
The commission isn't going to be doing this work alone but will team up with the local police departments. These departments will be responsible for identifying locations in their towns that are considered to be high-risk bars.
This program is taking place at the same time as the impaired driving crackdown that is being carried out on a national level by the NTSA, or the National Transportation Safety Administration. The office of the State Treasurer will oversee it. The State Treasurer herself spoke about the program, saying it will be an effective deterrent, keeping bars from overserving people, which will then make the highways and roads safer.
If you have been picked up for a suspected DUI as part of this program, be sure you know your rights.
Source: WCVB, "Massachusetts to crack down on impaired driving," Nov. 28, 2015