Whitefish police ramp up Fourth patrols

There are more fatalities on Montana highways in July than in any other month, with Fourth of July being one of the most deadly holidays of the year.

In an effort to help keep Montana’s highway safe over the upcoming holiday weekend, the Whitefish Police Department is working in collaboration with other state law enforcement agencies in ramping up their presence starting June 27 through July 5.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial says Fourth of July is the busiest weekend for his department, out pacing even the notoriously lively Halloween and New Year’s Eve crowds.

“We’ll have the entire staff work the July 4 weekend,” he said.

Dial joined Montana Department of Transportation director Mike Tooley on Monday at City Beach for a press conference to spread the word about the “Vision Zero” initiative to eliminate fatal and serious car accidents from Montana’s highways.

“We want everybody to celebrate responsibly and to do what they know they should do,” Dial said.

That means planning ahead for a safe ride home, Dial said.

“We have a lot of ride services in Whitefish,” he said. “All of the resorts have shuttles and are good about helping us get people home safely.”

Dial noted that Flathead County has the “distinct displeasure” of being in the top-3 for traffic fatalities in the past decade. Last year, 13 people died on county roads, with five of those fatalities involving impaired drivers.

630 drivers were arrested and charged with DUI last year in Flathead County, he added.

“And that’s with all the things we put out there to deter impaired driving and people still continue to do it,” Dial said.

Tooley notes that the state has stiffened its DUI fines through new laws passed by the 2015 Montana Legislature.

One new law doubles the minimum fines for DUIs to a minimum of $600 for a first offense, $1,200 for a second offense and $2,500 for a third offense. The law also doubles the minimum fines if a child under the age of 16 is in the vehicle.

Offenders who refuse a breath test will also be fined an additional $300 administrative fee.

The law was introduced by Rep. Keith Regier, R- Kalispell, and co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Lavin, R- Kalispell.

“Prior to this, Montana’s DUI fines were amongst the lowest in the nation and hadn’t been changed since the 1980s,” Tooley said.

“These measures have been proven in other states. When fines are high enough to pay attention to and jail time increases, impaired driving decreases.”

As an alternative to prison time, another new law allows felony offenders with four or more DUIs to attend an intensive treatment program at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs.

Another piece of legislation provides a funding surge to DUI task forces across the state.

“This legislation is meant to save lives,” Tooley said, “and it needs to.”