Don’t ruin your life, or that of someone you encounter on the road, by making a bad decision to drive impaired around the holidays.
Warren County STOP-DWI Program and law enforcement agencies across Warren County are teaming up with the NY Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to make sure you make it home safely to see your loved ones. The Christmas and New Year holidays are a celebratory time of year, but it’s essential to take some time to remember that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
If your plans to celebrate include alcohol, arrange for a sober driver. Law enforcement and Warren County STOP-DWI Program will be involved in an Impaired Driving High Visibility Engagement Campaign that runs from 12/11/24 through 1/1/25, when law enforcement agencies around New York will work with increased patrols during the holiday period.
Drunken driving-related crashes spike during the holiday season. Historically, nearly 40% of highway fatalities during the winter holiday period involve an impaired driver.
That is why Warren County law enforcement is working together with partners such as Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to remind drivers that drunken and drugged driving is not only illegal, as it is a matter of life and death.
Warren County STOP-DWI Coordinator Monica Girard said: “Unfortunately, drunken driving remains a real threat to our community, and that threat increases during holidays. Driving drunk or impaired is deadly and illegal, and no one should ever take that risk.”
Kevin Geraghty, Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, said: “Impaired driving is never acceptable, and it claims lives. It is completely avoidable when there are so many safe alternatives to get home after drinking, such as designated drivers or ride services.”
Warren County STOP-DWI Program asks residents and visitors to:
- Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use a ride service like Uber or Lyft, call a taxi or a sober friend to get home safely.
- Use a community sober ride program. The free Have-a-Plan application in the iPhone and Android mobile device stores can help with arranging one.
- Call 911 If you see a driver on the road who you suspect is impaired.
- Take car keys away and make arrangements to get your friends or loved ones home safely if they are considering driving after drinking.
Please join in sharing the lifesaving message Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving during the holiday weekend.
For more information, visit https://stopdwi.org/ or www.warrencountyny.gov/trafficsafety.
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