Treasurer Deb Goldberg has announced that throughout Memorial Day weekend, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) will focus enforcement on bars in summer communities that have been most identified as the last bar to sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver. The ABCC will be working with police departments that have identified high-risk locations and direct efforts toward preventing the sale of alcohol to underage persons in these communities.

“This enforcement supports safer roads and highways throughout Massachusetts,” said Treasurer Goldberg. “Our efforts prevent the sale of alcohol to intoxicated individuals who could place the driving public at risk, while also establishing a long-term deterrence for bar owners from over-serving.”

In addition to police stopping impaired drivers on the roads, Sale to Intoxicated Persons (SIP) enforcement by the ABCC is considered an effective tool by Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) officials nationwide who agree that prohibiting the sale of alcohol to intoxicated persons is vital to prevent drunk driving and reduce criminal activity.

Alcohol is involved in 40 percent of traffic crash fatalities resulting in 17,013 fatalities and injuring an estimated 275,000 people annually. Data indicates that well over 50 percent of impaired driving arrests originate at bars. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion annually.

The program is in partnership with NHTSA through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) Highway Safety Division (HSD) and local law enforcement.

Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is an agency under the Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg. Its overall objective is to provide uniform control over the sale, purchase, transportation, manufacture, and possession of alcoholic beverages in the state.