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 during the winter holiday season.

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign runs from Wednesday, Dec. 10 through Thursday, Jan. 1.

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, 2025, with blood alcohol content identified, 43% were double the legal limit (0.16) or higher, with 21% being 0.20 or higher and 1.6% 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 GHSP Director Jack McNeely. “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. 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 before they start drinking.

If a driver finds they are unable to drive, they should give their keys to a sober driver. When a friend has been drinking and is considering driving, friends should take away the keys and help them get a sober ride home. Anyone who spots a drunk driver should contact local law enforcement.

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

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.