FOLEY, Ala. — As the holidays approach, Foley Police Chief David Wilson says it’s the perfect time to employ the designated driver program, especially since Foley Police Department’s new DUI Enforcement Unit is on the road and looking for those who get behind the wheel impaired by drugs and alcohol.

Just how dangerous is drinking and driving?

Wilson said approximately a month ago - at 3 in the morning - several FPD officers were investigating and diagramming an accident scene on Ala. Highway 59 where a drunk driver had struck a person on a motorcycle. Two squads cars — blue lights flashing — were partially blocking the road while officers conducted the investigation. That’s when a drunk driver came through and struck the DUI Enforcement Unit vehicle, sending officers in their reflective vests scrambling for their lives.

Luckily, no officer was in the car or in front of it when the crash occurred, Wilson said.

Wilson calls DUI a “serious offense with serious consequences. We’re very serious about removing drunk drivers from the roadways.”

While Ofc. Jack Nelson and others who work with him handle DUI enforcement and all hit and run accidents, Wilson said all of FPD’s officers in the Patrol Division are watching for DUIs between calls.