Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and we celebrate with barbecues and road trips. But be aware as you hit the highways that the Labor Day holiday weekend is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of drunk-driving fatalities. The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS)/Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB), says during the 2018 Labor Day holiday period (August 31 – September 4), there were 439 traffic fatalities nationwide. Forty-three percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking and more than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were over the legal limit. Ultimately, drinking and driving is a choice, and it is a choice that puts all road users at risk.

Authorities say it is imperative that we all do our part to end drunk and drugged driving. Remember that it is never okay to drink/drug and drive. Even if you plan to have only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or use a ride serve to get home safely. If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement. Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely. These are small tasks that can make a BIG difference to save lives.

Last year, in Iowa, there were six fatalities over the three-day Labor Day weekend. Three of these fatalities involved a drunk driver. To help keep people safe on our roadways and put an end to drunk driving, extra law enforcement will be out, both locally and nationally, in support of the 2020 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. From August 21 through September 7, 2020, officers will be out there keeping our roads safe by removing impaired drivers and addressing other serious traffic violations.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau reminds you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.