The Mississippi Highway Patrol announced plans to kick off its “Making it Home for the Holidays” initiative this week.
According to Capt. Johnny Poulos, director of the Public Affairs Division, the high-visibility program will run through the end of the year.
“The initiative is designed to ensure safe travel for motorists while also reminding them of their responsibilities during the holiday season,” he said in an email.
The MHP’s 2017 Christmas travel enforcement period begins at 6 p.m. Friday and will continue until midnight on Dec. 25.
“All available troopers will be utilized on all state, federal, and interstate systems,” Poulos said. “They will be deployed to combat reckless driving along with speeding and distracted driving issues. Safety checkpoints will also be conducted throughout the period in order to enforce child restraint and seatbelt laws while also removing impaired drivers.”
During the 2016 Christmas enforcement period, troopers investigated 141 crashes including three fatalities.
“If alcohol is included in celebrations, we urge motorists to designate a sober driver of have other means of safe transportation,” Poulos said. “Our goal is for everyone to make it home for the holidays. In order to accomplish this, responsible decisions and safe driving should be a major part of everyone’s holiday plans.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation also encouraged safe driving and planning ahead for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and Director Melinda McGrath reminded the public of the dangers of drinking and driving in an email.
“Every holiday party begins with planning,” she said. “MDOT wants the traveling public to take the same approach when it comes to holiday travel. We want to keep our roads as safe as possible this holiday season, and we cannot stress enough the importance of having a designated driver. If you plan on drinking during the holidays, always hand your keys over to someone who has not been drinking.”
Drunk driving effects thousands of people across the U.S. every year. Every day almost 29 people die in an alcohol-impaired vehicle crash. In 2016, one person was killed in an alcohol-related crash every 50 minutes.
In every state, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08 or higher. However, even small amounts of alcohol can impair a person’s ability to drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,017 people were killed in 2016 in alcohol related crashes where drivers were under the legal BAC limit.
Alcohol impairs thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination, which restricts a person from operating a vehicle correctly. Even though someone isn’t feeling or acting drunk, does not automatically mean this person is okay to drive. Just one drink can have significant consequences if someone decides to get behind the wheel.
While celebrating this year, MDOT offers these tips to ensure Mississippi’s roads remain safe for all motorists this holiday season:
• If you drink alcohol, do not get behind the wheel for any reason. Make sure you have a designated driver in mind or a taxi to take you home.
• Hand your keys over to a trusted friend or family member at the beginning of the night before the first drink. This removes any temptations of thinking you are okay enough to drive.
• Hold your friends and family accountable; if someone is drinking, do not let them get behind the wheel. Take their keys and make sure they have a sober ride home.
• Impaired drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but also to other innocent drivers on the road. If you suspect someone is driving drunk, call the police when it is safe to do so.
• Be aware of other drivers: don’t assume that everyone else is driving as safely as you are.
For more tips on traveling safely this holiday season, visit GoMDOT.com/drivesmartms.
