Drive Sober Winter Holiday Campaign

AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

Good morning and thank you for joining us as we kick off our Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired-driving prevention campaign. As many of you may know, the winter holiday season is an especially deadly time of year on our roads.

I'm honored to be speaking to you from the incredible Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - a designated National Historic Landmark and home to the University of Southern California's Trojans football team. And I'm grateful for our partners in safety standing with us, including USC legend Matt Leinart.

As Matt can tell you, on game days, this coliseum is packed with cheering fans. The energy during a game is extraordinary, as more than 77,000 fans fill the stands behind me.

I'll ask you to imagine a game day when the Trojans take to the field, but the stands are empty.

Because these stands also represent the number of lives lost due to impaired driving. From 2016 to 2022, we lost more people to impaired driving than this coliseum can hold. That's 81,621 lives lost because someone decided to get behind the wheel after using alcohol or drugs.

That's what families across the country will be feeling this holiday season as seats remain empty at their dinner tables. Husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, friends - all missing because of impaired drivers.

Sadly, alcohol impairment continues to be one of the leading causes of death on our nation's roads. And it is why NHTSA continues to educate the public year-round about the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

According to our most recent data, more than 13,000 people in the U.S. were killed in impaired-driving crashes in 2022, with more than 1,000 lives lost in December alone. And in California, nearly 1,500 lives were lost because of impaired driving. That's 33% of all traffic fatalities in the state.

But what makes this especially tragic is that these crashes are 100% preventable. There is simply no excuse or reason to drive impaired, and we at NHTSA want to do everything we can to make sure no one else experiences such a devastating loss - no matter the time of year.

And it's not only illicit drugs and marijuana that can impair you. Prescription and over-the counter medications, such as cold and allergy drugs, can also affect your driving ability.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign we're launching today, which runs tomorrow through the first of the new year, reminds everyone of the dangers of impaired driving - and the consequences if they choose to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Our $14.1 million national paid media campaign includes English and Spanish ads on television, and radio and digital platforms to help spread this lifesaving message as widely as possible.

Our campaign includes high-visibility enforcement, with law enforcement officers working with their communities to keep impaired drivers off our roads. Once someone has chosen to drive impaired, they are a risk not only to themselves, but also to others on the road.

NHTSA is proud to work with our partners in the law enforcement community as part of our shared commitment to conduct enforcement activities equitably and fairly. And we thank our officers for their dedication to protecting the public from impaired drivers.

After all, the goal is to save lives. As people celebrate the holidays, we want to make sure they do so safely and responsibly.

I want to emphasize that we can all take part in preventing these unnecessary tragedies on our roads by always driving sober, and never getting behind the wheel after using any impairing substance.

Instead, designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or call a ride-hailing service or taxi. Many communities also run sober ride programs throughout the holiday season, offering free rides home. And if you see an impaired driver on the road, please call 911. Your actions could help save someone's life.

Again, I want to stress that these tragedies are entirely preventable. No lives need to be lost this holiday season because someone chose to drive impaired. So, I urge you to never pass on a sober ride. Make the responsible choice and plan for a safe ride home if you intend to drink or use an impairing drug.

If you're hosting a holiday party, make sure your friends and family members have a sober ride home. Do not let them get behind the wheel if they're impaired.

Even one drink can affect your driving ability and, if you choose to drive, the consequences can be deadly. It isn't worth the risk.

With that, we'll conclude today's news conference. Thanks again to all our speakers for their time and thank you for joining us today.