Now through Jan. 1, 2026, the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and local law enforcement, to 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 month of December from 2019 to 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.
In West Virginia, there were 58 alcohol-impaired driving-related traffic crash fatalities in 2023, accounting for 22 percent of all traffic crash fatalities. Of the DUI arrests made since Jan. 1, with blood alcohol content identified, 43 percent were double the legal limit (0.16), or higher, with 21 percent being 0.20 or higher, and 1.6 percent reaching 0.30 or higher. Thirty-four people have been arrested this year, driving in West Virginia with BACs almost four times the legal limit.
“Not only is driving impaired illegal, it is dangerous and never acceptable,” said Jack McNeely, GHSP director. “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 plan ahead this holiday season if they intend to drink. They shouldn’t wait until after drinking to plan how to get somewhere. Because impairment clouds a person’s judgment, drivers should secure a designated sober driver or call a taxi or rideshare for a sober ride home.
If a driver finds they are unable to drive, they should give their keys to a sober driver so that person can get them home safely. When a friend has been drinking and is considering driving, friends should be proactive, take away the keys, and help them get a sober ride home. If anyone spots a drunk driver, contact local law enforcement.
