KING COUNTY, WA - Today, community leaders and government officials joined together in heralding the upcoming "Night of 1000 Stars" traffic safety emphasis patrols for this holiday season.

Ron Sims joins with community leaders, law enforcement and government officials heralding the "Night of 1000 Stars."

Joining King County Executive Ron Sims at the event were King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County Alonzo Plough, Washington State Traffic Safety Commission Chair John Moffat, King County MADD President Karen Minahan, and law enforcement officers from throughout King County.

Taking place on the night of Friday, December 15th, these special holiday emphasis patrols - called the "Night of 1000 Stars" to represent the badges of all the dedicated officers that patrol the roadways statewide throughout the year -- will be targeting reckless and unsafe drivers, including those who drink and drive, in King County and across the state of Washington.

"Every life saved, every injury prevented, and every tragedy averted thorough our coordinated efforts is cause for celebration," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We want people to enjoy the holidays safely."

"Alcohol-related crashes are one of the most preventable causes of premature death and traffic related injuries," said Public Health-Seattle & King County Director Dr. Alonzo Plough. "If you are going to drink, don't drive. Stay at home, take a taxi, or have a designated driver in your group who will not be drinking, period."

Drinking drivers not only place themselves in harm's way, but also endanger other innocent people on the road.

"We need to do a better job of protecting our children from the effects of dangerous driving," said Tony Gomez, Manager for the Injury and Violence Prevention Section at Public Health, and Chair of the King County Traffic Safety Coalition.

As an example, Gomez cited a national study released last year showing that 64% of child passengers 14 years or younger killed in alcohol-related crashes were riding in the vehicle with a drinking driver. "The emphasis patrols work to get these types of dangerous drivers off the road," said Gomez.

Within King County, officers from the Washington State Patrol, the King County Sheriff's Office, and Sea-Tac, Federal Way, Des Moines, Tukwila, Shoreline, Seattle, and Kent police departments will be looking for drivers who exceed the speed limit, fail to wear safety belts and commit other traffic violations.

"Impaired driving, excessive speed, and failure to buckle up are the three main causes of death and injury on the road," said King County Sheriff Dave Reichert. "If you are on the road this holiday, drive safely -- and stay off the roads if you're drinking."

"For those who don't comply, we're going to be out there, and we will arrest you," said Reichert.

Reichert specified that the traffic safety patrol in King County will be especially concentrated along State Route 99. From 1992-1996, the section of SR 99 within King County tallied 952 alcohol-related collisions, resulting in 21 fatalities and 965 injuries. This was five times the alcohol-related collision rate compared to any other state highway in King County.

The State Route 99 emphasis is coordinated by the King County Traffic Safety Coalition (KCTSC) and Public Health - Seattle & King County, and is supported by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

In additon to, and in coordination with the traffic safety patrols, agents from the Washington State Liquor Control Board will perform underage and over-service checks in licensed establishments on Friday, December, 15th.

Formed in 1998, the KCTSC is chaired by Public Health -Seattle & King County and includes the law enforcement agencies listed above, health educators, epidemiolgists, liquor industry representatives, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, victims groups, traffic engineers, and numerous others.

Since KCTSC began coordinating these traffic safety emphasis patrols in 1999, over 1200 people have been stopped for unsafe driving actions and over 100 people have been cited with driving under the influence (DUI) along Highway 99 in King County.

One safe alternative to drinking and driving is the TOWED program. Sponsored by K & L Distributors and Nextel and funded by individual towing companies in King County, this program gives people who feel that their driving will be impaired the option of having themselves and their vehicles transported home free of charge, no questions asked.

People interested in using this service should call (425) 462-4368.