With Thanksgiving now in the rearview mirror, everyone’s attention turns to the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations that will take place over the next several weeks. The holiday season is a time to get together with family and friends and celebrate another year. It’s also okay to cut loose a little bit and let your hair down.
Far too many people, however, still have a hard time cutting loose responsibly. The holiday season is one of the most popular times of the year for drunk driving. With more people on the roads traveling to parties and distant relatives’ homes, the potential for accidents increases.
‘Operation Safe Holiday’ kicking off
The increase in drunk driving and accidents is why the Pennsylvania State Police and PennDot announce the “Operation Safe Holiday” campaign every holiday season.
According to PennDot, there were 8,608 crashes during the 2016 holiday season. Impaired driving was a factor in 1,072 of those crashes and 27 of the 79 total fatalities.
As part of the campaign, state police and local police departments across the state will be stepping up their use of sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols to spot people driving drunk or driving under the influence of drugs.
Celebrate responsibly this holiday season
If you are planning on having a few too many glasses of egg nog, mulled wine or other festive beverage, you should always remember to plan ahead. This means picking a designated driver in your group, hiring a taxi or using a ridesharing service. If you live in Erie, there are plenty of options available to avoid driving drunk.
It is so important to do this, because a DUI arrest can have serious effects on your future. It could mean spending time in jail, losing your driver’s licenses and having a criminal record that haunts you for years to come.
If you are arrested for DUI this holiday season, please call the Quinn Law Firm at 814-806-2518 to talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney about your rights and options.