December 21, 2021 3:30 a.m.

For this holiday season, the Roseburg Police Department is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to share the message about the dangers of drunk driving.

An RPD release said through January 1st, residents will see local law enforcement officers working together to take drunk drivers off the roads.

According to NHTSA, 10,142 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2019, accounting for nearly one-third of traffic crash fatalities. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2015 to 2019 – which means one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 52 minutes in 2019.

During the month of December 2019, 837 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver. For the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods in 2019 alone, there were more drunk-driving related fatalities -210- than during any other holiday period that year.

RPD recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

*Even those who have had only one alcoholic beverage should designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely

*Those who see a drunk driver on the road, should contact 9-1-1.

*If a friend is about to drink and drive, take their keys away and make arrangements to get that person home safely

For more information about the 2021 Holiday Season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, go to: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving