The Prevention Council is partnering with the Saratoga Springs Police Department again this holiday season to remind motorists to drive sober. December 15th begins “Lights on for Life”, a national campaign with a symbolic headlight observance designed to focus attention on the issue of impaired driving. December is particularly suited to this observation because traffic fatalities involving alcohol or drug impaired drivers increase significantly during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods. In past years, drunk driving related fatalities averaged 25 deaths per day nationwide.
Tonya Coulter, the Prevention Council’s STOP-DWI Outreach Coordinator, reminds residents that “The December holiday season is traditionally one of the deadliest times of the year for alcohol-impaired crashes. Sadly, for thousands of families across the nation, the December holidays bring a somber reminder of the loved ones lost to an impaired driver.”
According to Sgt. Andrew Prestigiacomo, the Saratoga Springs Police Department’s traffic display sign will be on Lake Avenue with the message “Lights on for Life, Drive Sober” from now until December 21st. He states, “The actions of just one driver can impact many others. If you drink, please don’t drink and drive. A ticket, crash, or even an arrest this holiday weekend would surely put a damper on holiday plans.”