DELAWARE, Oh. — The SAFE Delaware County Coalition will be holding its annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign Kick-off event this Friday, August 23 at 12:00pm at the Jon Peterson Memorial Plaza outside the Delaware County Courthouse in downtown Delaware during food truck Friday.

From August 14 through September 2, which includes the Labor Day holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working alongside law enforcement agencies in Delaware County, for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign. The goal is to deter impaired driving and prevent the tragedies seen in previous Labor Day weekends from happening again.

“Since 2019, there were 3,453 people killed in Ohio because someone chose to get behind the wheel impaired,” said Lieutenant Robert Curry of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Delaware Post. “As part of the Patrol’s ongoing effort to make Ohio’s roadways safer, troopers will continue to focus on removing impaired drivers this month and throughout the Holiday Season. But we can’t fight this battle on our own. We need your commitment to plan ahead by designating a sober driver or call for a ride. If you drink – don’t drive.”

“We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking,” said SAFE Delaware County Coalition Coordinator, Jackie Bain. “The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is an awareness effort to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Let’s make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: Help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior.”

Drivers should be safe during this Labor Day holiday by planning ahead if they intend to drink. They shouldn’t wait until after drinking to plan how to get home. 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.

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

As the lead agency of the SAFE Delaware County Coalition, the Delaware Public Health District partners with local law enforcement, hospital and health care providers, fire departments and emergency medical personnel, schools, businesses and community groups to provide educational programs and resources relating to injury prevention to keep our county a safe place to live.

Last Updated on August 21, 2024