ZION NATIONAL PARK - Zion National Park will enhance law enforcement against impaired driving over the Fourth of July weekend through expanded DUI checkpoints and increased road patrols.
Superintendent Jock Whitworth said, “Rangers in the National Parks have two essential missions. One is to preserve and protect natural and cultural resources in perpetuity. The other is to provide for the safe enjoyment of those resources by visitors.”
Zion National Park’s enforcement is aimed to keep all visitors, local residents, and wildlife safe on the park’s roads. Impaired driving in Zion is especially dangerous due to the narrow roads, steep drop-offs and sharp turns.
“Alcohol impairs many of the skills that safe driving requires,” Whitworth said, “especially on the unique roadways within Zion National Park. In an effort to protect visitors and park resources, we will show zero tolerance, and anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher will be arrested.”
Please visit our earlier article on Law Enforcement 4th of July crack-down: Impaired drivers and seat belt violations, addressing data on the problem of drunk driving over the 4th of July Holiday, other law enforcement initiatives for the Holiday week, including Utah Highway Patrol.
Joyce Kuzmanic contributed to this article.
Email: jkuzmanic@stgnews.com
Twitter: @JoyceKuzmanic
Copyright 2012 St. George News.
2 Comments on "Zero tolerance at Zion National Park"
How many checkpoints do they actually need on the one road there? I would think one would do the job?
I’d say, as far as impaired driving goes, SR9 through Zion is pretty much self-enforcing. You might try to drive it drunk, but you aren’t likely to get a second chance.