The festivities of Christmas and New Year holidays is often mixed with good cheer leading to tragedies on Arkansas roadways. This year the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is partnering with law enforcement agencies across the state to share the message about the dangers of drunk driving.
Beginning this weekend (December 16th – January 1st), Arkansas State Troopers and law enforcement officers from local departments will be working together to get impaired drivers off the road. The Arkansas Highway Safety Office asks everyone to remember, “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over”.
According to NHTSA officials, 11,654 people were killed during 2020 in motor vehicle crashes that involved alcohol impaired drivers. Averages from that year show one person was killed in a drunk driving crash every 45 minutes. Between 2016 – 2020, on average, more than 10,000 people died each year because of drunk driving crashes.
To reduce the chances of future drunk driving crashes, Arkansas law enforcement officers are working together with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal but also a matter of life and death.
“It’s so important that drivers act responsibly, and refrain from driving if they’ve consumed a beverage containing alcohol,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “The holidays are a special time of year for everyone and it’s our job in state and local law enforcement to keep the highways and local streets safe for everyone by arresting anyone who is driving while impaired.”
Original source can be found here.
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