The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Carbon County police will step up efforts through Jan. 1 to stop impaired driving and protect road users’ safety in alignment with the winter holiday high-visibility enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

Like other festive seasons, the winter holidays are a time of year when many alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities occur.

In the combined Decembers of 2019-2023, 4,931 people were killed in traffic crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

In December 2023 alone, there were 1,038 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities, 697 of which involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 g/dL or higher — nearly twice the legal limit in almost every state.

“Not only is driving impaired illegal, it is dangerous and never acceptable,” said Officer Joel Gulla, Lehighton Police Department and Carbon County Coordinator for the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program.

“Our law enforcement officers will be out in full force to pull over impaired drivers and remove them from the roads to ensure our community stays safe. We ask everyone to follow the law and do their part to keep themselves and other road users safe throughout the winter holiday season. Drunken driving fatalities can be prevented when everyone keeps road safety in mind as they prepare for holiday celebrations.”

Drivers should be safe during this winter holiday season by planning ahead if they intend to drink. They shouldn’t wait until after drinking to plan how to get somewhere. Impairment clouds a person’s judgment. Drivers should secure a designated sober driver or call a taxi or rideshare for a sober ride home.

For more information on impaired driving, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.