'Make the right choice': Michigan sheriff's office admonishes drunk driving after patrol vehicle hit

Drunk driver hits patrol vehicle in Michigan

While Livingston County Sheriff's deputies were conducting a traffic stop earlier this month, a drunk driver crashed into their patrol vehicle. The impaired driver just missed hitting the stopped car and the deputies who were standing on the other side of it.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - In the midst of the Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, a drunk driver slammed into a Livingston County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle.

The sheriff's office released video of the crash, which happened around 11:50 p.m. Aug. 14 in Hartland Township, as it reminds drivers to not get behind the wheel if they have been drinking. 

The backstory:

The deputies had a car stopped on northbound US-23 near Clyde Road. Dashcam video from the patrol vehicle showed one of the deputies talking through the passenger window while another deputy stood near the rear of the car.

The deputy speaking with the car's occupants briefly looked back before a driver hit the patrol vehicle, causing the deputies to run into the grass.

Authorities said the driver who hit the patrol vehicle had a BAC of .20, more than double Michigan's legal limit of .08.

No one was injured in the crash.

Dig deeper:

The Livingston County Sheriff's Office made a point of noting that this crash happened during the nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative. During this initiative, more police are on patrol for impaired drivers.

"This could have been prevented," the sheriff's office wrote in a post sharing the video. "When you choose to drive impaired, you're making a decision that can change lives forever. Tonight, we were fortunate. Tomorrow, someone else might not be. Make the right choice. Plan ahead. Call a ride. Save lives."

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