Holiday Drunk Driving Prevention Tips: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2017 Winter Campaign

The winter campaign for Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is next week, and we want to provide you with holiday drunk driving prevention tips to avoid a sometimes-fatal decision to drink and drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s communication resource, Traffic Safety Marketing, is urging drivers to stay safe this holiday season by not driving drunk. Many local law enforcement agencies are participating in the enforcement campaign throughout the U.S. with various plans such as sobriety checkpoints and an increase in patrols looking for drunk drivers. If they suspect a drunk driver, they will pull them over, test them and automatically arrest them.

Holiday Drunk Driving Fatalities

According to NHTSA, nearly 37,500 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2016. A staggering 28 percent of those fatalities involved crashes with a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at .08, the legal limit. In another study, drunk driving deaths have increased for the second year in a row.

Every year during the holiday season, between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, there’s an even greater number of deaths because of drunk driving. For the month of December alone, 781 people lost their lives in drunk driving-related crashes. The rise in this dangerous behavior is because more drivers are on the road and there are more drinks to be had from the holidays.

Don’t let yourself, or a friend or family member, be at risk this holiday season.

Holiday Drunk Driving Prevention Tips

Remember to:

• Designate a sober driver in your group to ensure you’re getting home safely.
• Use a ride sharing service, such as a tax or Uber/Lyft. A few dollars out of your wallet is a better alternative than driving drunk in your car, which could cause severe consequences.
• Look for public transportation as an alternative, such as bus, train, etc.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign will be from December 13 to the 31^st.

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