RICHMOND, Va. - During the holiday season many people may drink alcohol, so Virginia State Police is reminding those to drive sober with their annual campaign 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.' The DUI enforcement and public education campaign are back on Virginia’s roads to close out its 21st year of deterring drunk driving.
For Mike Goodove, good memories of his brother, Jeff, around the holiday season can often be bittersweet.
“He was my best friend,” Goodove told News 3. “He was a wonderful member of the community [and] had a bright, bright future ahead of him.”
This holiday season is the 32nd without Jeff. In February 1990, Mike Goodove said his brother, a student at the University of Virginia, was killed by a drunk driver in Charlottesville.
“We’ve been forever changed,” Goodove said. “The meaning of [the] holidays has changed. Everything is different.”
Since his brother's death, Mike has worked to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving and help others through the group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, especially during the holiday season.
“People are out celebrating, they’re using alcohol out on the roadway, and that car that they’re driving becomes a weapon when they’re impaired,” Goodove said.
The campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, was previously known as Checkpoint Strikeforce. According to officials, it "combines law enforcement efforts with research-based outreach to remind Virginians to plan for a safe ride home after drinking."
“Our goal is to ensure that every Virginian gets home safely to their families this holiday season,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is back to remind folks to celebrate responsibly and plan a safe ride home if they’ve been drinking.”
In 2020, more than a third (39%) of all U.S. traffic fatalities on Christmas Day involved alcohol-impaired drivers, officials report. On New Year’s Day 2020, alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities accounted for nearly half (49%) of all U.S. traffic fatalities.
Between Thanksgiving 2021 and New Year’s Day 2022, 931 people were involved in alcohol-related crashes in Virginia, resulting in 440 injuries and 13 fatalities, they report. During last year's holiday season, there were 106 injuries due to alcohol-related traffic crashes in the Portsmouth/Norfolk region.
“The research is clear: the winter holidays are one of the most dangerous times of the year due to alcohol-related crashes. It’s crucial that everyone does their part to keep themselves and their families safe this holiday season by making a plan for a sober ride home if your festivities include alcohol,” said Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Acting Commissioner Linda Ford. “The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is proud to continue our collaboration with the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to stop these tragedies at the source.”
News 3 asked Goodove, a Norfolk-based attorney, about these numbers.
"We have work to do," Goodove said.
The campaign launched in 2001. Officials said since then, alcohol-related crashes have decreased by 40%, fatalities have decreased by 31%, and injuries have nearly halved.
Last year they report that in Virginia, there was a 9.2% decrease from 2020.
As for Loucious Knight, his holiday plans include spending time with family and inside his classic 1980’s Ford Crown Victoria, while staying safe on the roads.
“I’m a defensive driver, so naturally when I see people doing something crazy, I slow down,” Knight said. “You might go out and you might drink or whatever, but you might kill somebody’s mom. You might kill somebody’s brother. You might kill somebody’s son [or] somebody’s baby.”
It's advice and a message, Goodove hopes, everyone follows.
“If you choose to drink and drive, or become impaired and drive this holiday season, you’re going to be locked up,” Goodove said.
According to the campaign, a DUI in Virginia can cost you anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 in fines, lawyer fees, and car insurance.
Virginia State Police’s participation in the program will begin Dec. 23 and run through Jan. 2 at midnight.
120 Virginia law enforcement agencies will participate in the holiday wave of Virginia’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign from Wednesday, December 14 through New Year’s Day. Law enforcement officers will conduct 536 individual saturation patrols and 95 sobriety checkpoints across the Commonwealth.
Virginia is also continuing its “Act Like It” public-awareness campaign. The campaign video reminds viewers that if you’re old enough to drink, act like it. Don’t risk a DUI.
Watch the campaign video below:
