The Warner Robins Police Department and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) are offering their only warning before the Christmas/New Year holiday season to never drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both substances. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) December Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired driving enforcement campaign will begin on December 12, 2025 and run through January 1, 2026.
Warner Robins Police Department is joining state and local law enforcement across Georgia who are increasing DUI enforcement during the holiday season with the goal of saving lives by preventing crashes caused by selfish drunk and drugged drivers. State troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers across the state always have a zero tolerance for drunk and drugged driving.
Zero tolerance means any driver found on the road with a Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher will be arrested. No warnings will be given, and no one will be allowed to call a relative or friend to give them a ride. The only ride drunk and drugged drivers receive is a ride to jail.
According to the NHTSA, more than 4,900 people in the United States have been killed in traffic crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver in the month of December from 2019-2023. Two-thirds of the drunk driving fatalities in the United States in December of 2023 involved a driver whose BAC was .15 or higher, which is nearly twice the legal limit in 49 states.
A GOHS Georgia Traffic Safety Fact Sheet on Impaired Driving found more than 80 percent of the people killed in drunk driving crashes in 2023 were riding in the vehicle that was hit by the drunk driver. Forty five percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes in the United States in December of 2023 between midnight and 3:00 a.m. were drunk. Federal crash data shows that nearly 70 percent of the drunk driving crashes in Georgia in the month of December from 2019-2023 involved a driver whose BAC was nearly twice the legal limit.
“If alcohol is part of the plan, then the plan must include arranging a ride with a sober driver because driving after drinking is never worth the risk to yourself and others on the road,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “For those who refuse to put their safety and the safety of others first, please know we have a jail cell ready and waiting for all drunk and drugged drivers we find on the road. Please think about yourself and others and make the right decision to call a friend, cab or ride share for a sober ride.”
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and NHTSA offer the following tips to prevent drunk driving crashes:
Let family members or friends know they can call you any time for a sober ride
Serve non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers
Designated drivers are those who do not drink any alcohol
Take the keys from party guests if alcohol is being consumed and do not let guests leave if you believe they are too impaired to drive
Let party guests know they can spend the night if needed