Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over / Plan for a Sober Ride Home - Arrive Alive DE
Skip to content
Back to News Page

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over / Plan for a Sober Ride Home

August 22, 2022

Delaware Office of Highway Safety

DOVER, Del. (August 22, 2022)– The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS), in partnership with NHTSA, is participating in the national enforcement mobilization “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” From August 19 through September 5, OHS will be partnering with State and local law enforcement, working together to have a consistent police presence across the State to stop drunk driving and potentially save lives.

“As the summer season comes to an end, OHS wants to remind drivers of the importance of planning for a sober ride if alcohol is included in the Labor Day celebration plans,” said Richard Klepner Deputy Director, Delaware Office of Highway Safety. “Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior, especially when there are so many alternatives to get you home safely.”

Delaware DUI Statistics

Data shows that Labor Day weekend is one of the deadliest times of the year on Delaware roadways.

  • In 2021, there were 42 Impaired driving fatalities, accounting for 30% of total fatalities
  • Since 2017 there have been 4 DUI fatalities over the Labor Day weekend (Sept 2 – 6)
  • 56% of all DUI crashes occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
  • Males 45-54 are most involved in DUI Crashes
  • 4524 total DUI arrests in 2021 with 86 occurring over the Labor Day weekend. (Sept 2 – 6)
  • 29% of all crashes involved impaired drivers with a BAC level of 0.16-0.199 (twice the legal limit)

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, and one person was killed in a drunk driving crash every 45 minutes in 2020.

During the 2020 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. September 4 – 5:59 a.m. September 8), there were 530 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-six percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drunk drivers (.08+ BAC), and one-fourth (25%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among drivers between the ages of 21 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2020, 44% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

Celebrate with a Plan

Always remember to plan ahead if you will be celebrating the end of summer and over the Labor Day holiday weekend. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. Is it your turn to be the designated driver? Take that role seriously and do not consume alcohol, not even one drink.

  1. Designate your driver. Determine your preferred source for getting a safe ride to and from your destination if you decide to drink.
    –    Relying on a friend: Connect with them ahead of time to ensure they don’t plan on drinking.
    –    Using a rideshare service such as Uber, Lyft, or NHTSA’s SaferRide: Download the mobile app (for Android devices and iOS) to your phone before you head out to celebrate.
    –    Calling a cab: Keep a list of local cab options on your phone.
  2. If you’re serving alcohol, help guests at your gathering get home safely. Party hosts can create a unique rideshare code to offer guests a sober ride home. If that is beyond your budget, make signs listing cab companies with phone numbers and a public transportation schedule to hang in your restroom, on your door, and near your drink station.
  3. Be a friend. If you see someone drinking too much and/or behaving as if they have, keep them from getting behind the wheel. Take their keys and call them a cab or arrange for a ridesharing option.
  4. Be in the “smart seat.” If you’re heading out as a driver or passenger, always buckle your seat belt before starting the vehicle. On the road, if you see a vehicle swerving, speeding, going excessively slow, or somehow indicating its driver may be under the influence, pull over immediately and call 9-1-1.
  5. Be aware of when you’re “not all there.” You can’t trust yourself when you drink. Put the keys away and grab a sober friend, call a taxi, or take public transportation home.

For more information on the campaign, statistics, and education on impaired driving visit https://www.arrivealivede.com/drive-sober/

 

DE OHS logoAbout the Delaware Office of Highway Safety
The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is committed to improving the safety of Delaware’s motoring public by focusing on behavioral traffic safety issues, such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle safety, and teen driving issues. Follow the Delaware Office of Highway Safety on ArriveAliveDE.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.