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CHARLESTON -- Drivers across West Virginia will see increased law enforcement patrols during the busy holiday season.
As part of The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program (WV GHSP) and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are teaming up with local law enforcement to urge drivers to think twice before drinking and driving. Law enforcement is staging a special high-visibility enforcement campaign to spread the message about the dangers of drunk driving from today through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
Between 2017 and 2021, drunk driving crashes in the month of December claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people in the United States. According to NHTSA, 1,013 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in December 2021 alone. The WV GHSP and local law enforcement urge drivers to always make a plan before heading out to a celebration.
"Drunk driving isn't just dangerous, it's illegal," said Amy Boggs, Program Manager of the WV GHSP. "Drivers have a choice to make: Follow the law and respect their fellow drivers by refraining from drunk driving. Or make the choice to drive drunk, put others at risk, and risk your own mortality and wellbeing.
"We need a commitment from every driver to keep the roads free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday."