If you’re enjoying the holidays with a drink, the Cape Coral Police Department has a message for you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

Due to the increase in drunk driving-related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across America will be actively searching for and arresting drunk drivers through January 1st. In December 2019 alone there were 210 people killed nationwide in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Just here in Cape Coral this year, 7 out of 19, or around 37% of fatalities this year have been directly attributed to impaired driving.

In 2019, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities decreased by 5.3% to the lowest percentage since 1982, when NHTSA started reporting alcohol data. However, that progress is in jeopardy due to changing driving patterns and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The drivers who remained on the roads engaged in more risky behavior, including driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to a NHTSA report issued in October.

As part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign period, Cape Coral Police will be increasing the number of saturation patrols, and using social media to reach out to all drivers.

In addition to reminding all drivers to drive sober, the Cape Coral Police Department is calling on everyone to be alert. If you see a drunk driver on the road, call the police right away at (239) 574-3223 or 9-1-1. If someone you know is about to drive after drinking, take their keys and help them get home safely.  

Cape Coral drivers, please follow these tips to keep the holidays safe and happy: 

• Even one drink can impair your judgment and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk—or worse, the risk of having a crash. 
• If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins. 
• If you have been drinking, do not drive. Call a taxi, Uber, phone a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

Remember, driving after drinking should never be an option. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.