Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

RIPON, Wis (WRPN)- If you’re going to be out celebrating the end of the old year and ushering in the New Year, make sure you have a sober driver.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign runs through New Year’s Day with law enforcement agencies statewide participating. Lieutenant Nick Kahnke is with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.

He says impaired driving has accounted for thousands of deaths across the nation in December the last few years. From 2019 to 2023 there were almost 5,000 people killed in America. During the last holiday season there were 403 crashes involving impaired drivers in Wisconsin. Those accidents killed nine people and injured 169 others.

Kahnke encourages people who intend to drink to choose a safe method of getting home by designating a sober driver, taking a bus, calling a taxi, or if you live in Fond du Lac County using the Safe Ride Program. Sixty-three taverns in the county participate in the program and all you have to do is tell a bartender you want a free ride home.