Drive Merry, Bright, and Sober

The holiday season is a time for friends, family, and co-workers to come together in celebration. That’s why the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is promoting the high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and If You Feel Different. You Drive Different. Drive High Get A DUI.

According to the organization, the campaign runs through January 1st. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk or drug-impaired driving.

The agency says drunk-driving crashes claimed 613 lives in the region which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

“The holidays should be a joyous time for our families, not a time of tragedy,” said NHTSA Region 7 Administrator, Susan DeCourcy. “We need the commitment of our community members to keep the streets free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. This is a campaign to get the message out that drunk and impaired driving is illegal, and it takes lives. Help us put an end to this potentially deadly behavior,” she said.

According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2018. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2014 to 2018. That’s one person killed in drunk-driving crashes every 50 minutes in 2018. There are many ways for the public to get home safely to avoid this from happening:

  • Plan ahead and designate a sober driver.
  • Use public transportation or a rideshare service.
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

The agency concludes “let’s help make sure everyone has a happy, healthy holiday season.”