Michigan officers will be patrolling over the holidays to keep us safe

The annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins Friday and lasts through New Year's Day. Additional officers will patrolling for intoxicated drivers, along with normal patrols.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning says 326 people died in over 9,000 alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2020. Eighty-four people died in crashes around Christmas and New Year's from 2016 to 2020, including 34 involving drunk drivers.

Michigan police arrest 200 intoxicated drivers during three-week campaign

There were 15 traffic deaths in Michigan over the Christmas and New Year's season last year.

"Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after you've been drinking or taken drugs endangers you, your passengers and everyone else on the road," said Michael L. Prince, director of the Office of Highway Safety Planning. "Fatalities on our roadways are preventable, and drivers must remember that driving impaired by any substance is deadly, illegal and selfish behavior."

Michigan State Police say nearly 42% of all deadly crashes in 2019 involved alcohol, drugs or both. December is considered one of the most dangerous months for intoxicated driving nationwide.

President Joe Biden declared December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month to remember lives lost due to intoxicated drivers. He said drunk driving prevention is everyone's responsibility.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign receives funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.