Acadia National Park to create road checkpoints to reduce impaired driving

In an effort to crack down on drivers under the influence of alcohol, drugs and marijuana, Acadia National Park rangers plan to enhance traffic enforcement and establish safety checkpoints on park roads beginning on Aug. 10 and continuing through the fall, according to a press release issued today by the National Park Service.

This change in park management is in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of a national traffic safety campaign to reduce impaired driving on roads.

“The National Park Service is working to ensure that visitors to Acadia National Park have a safe and enjoyable trip,” Superintendent Kevin Schneider stated in the press release. “We appreciate the patience and cooperation of those visitors who may encounter a safety checkpoint in the park.”

Park rangers will stop and make brief contact with all drivers passing through safety checkpoints while making every effort to minimize any inconvenience.

In addition to driving impaired, possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle is illegal, and no person under the age of 21 may possess alcohol. And regardless of state law, the possession or use of marijuana in any amount is still illegal in Acadia National Park, the press release stated.

More than 35,000 people died in roadway crashes in the United States during 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a 7.2-percent increase from 32,744 in 2014. This is the largest percentage increase in nearly 50 years. Furthermore, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities increased by 3.2 percent during that timeframe, from 9,943 in 2014 to 10,265 in 2015.

For information about Acadia National Park, visit www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338. And to join online conversations about the park, visit www.facebook.com/AcadiaNPS, twitter.com/AcadiaNPS or www.instagram.com/AcadiaNPS.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.