Twitter-shaming is not uncommon amongst the opinionated consumers of the Internet, but after a Los Angeles restaurant tweeted the full names of reservation no-shows, it seems the police department in Twin Cities want to follow along the online ousting trend. Tomorrow night, the Department of Public Safety in St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN will conduct its largest one-night DWI patrol with the aim to tweet any arrests made that night.
Up to 150 law enforcement squads will roam about the cities to crack down on drunk driving. The Department cites that more drunk driving accidents occur during warmer months, hence the need to take early actions to stop such behavior. “In the last five years, 651 people were killed in drunk driving crashes,” the announcement reports. “Drunk driving deaths account for one-third of the state’s total deaths annually.”
Through its official Twitter account, authorities will live report arrest activities and promote extensive patrols throughout the upcoming summer months.
“We are strongly demonstrating what we are doing to stop drunk drivers through this display of enforcement,” says DPS Commissioner Mona Dohman. “We are asking you to do your part, too, by planning ahead and avoiding the dangers and consequences of driving impaired.”
It’s an aggressive move on the police department’s part, but perhaps rightfully so. In most cases, drunk drivers’ names are often released on the newswire in a major accident, while in the scenario of a restaurant Twitter-shaming reservation no-shows, those customers did not subject themselves to public humiliation. Is this method of embarrassment a new trend in social media? It’s not the worst campaign we’ve seen hit Twitter or Facebook, but we have to wonder if it’s an effective method of DWI prevention (or a good lesson in restaurant reservation etiquettes). Although drunk drivers come in all ages, surely this will affect younger, hipper residents who are active on Twitter more than older people who don’t really care about their Web presence.
Either way, no matter who you are or where you live, save a cab number in your phone if you’re headed for a big night out – or call the joint you have reservations to if your plans change. Then people wouldn’t have a reason to embarrass you in the first place.
If you want to catch up on whether Minnesota police catch any irresponsible drivers, you can follow tomorrow night’s crackdown at #May10DWI.
