The sobering fact is that impaired driving contributes to nearly 30 percent of all Missouri traffic fatalities. In 2011, 218 people were killed and 867 were seriously injured in crashes involving an impaired driver. That’s why the Joplin Police Department, along with the Southwest Missouri DWI Taskforce will conduct a DWI checkpoint this upcoming weekend.

Consequences of impaired driving include jail time, loss of driver’s licenses, and being required to have an ignition interlock installed. Insurance rates also go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation.

The Joplin Police Department wants all drivers to realize that driving impaired is simply not worth all the consequences.