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Deterring Drunk Driving This Winter Holiday Season

From Police Department
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
From December 10, 2025, through January 1, 2026, the Franklin lakes Police Department and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will step up efforts 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 road users 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 .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 Chief Mark McCombs. “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. Drunk 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.

The Franklin Lakes Police Department recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

  • 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 public transportation or a ride service to get home safely. 
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, citizens are urged to call 911.
  • Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Be proactive, take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

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