This Independence Day holiday, safeguard your freedom and the lives of others, by committing to sober driving.

The NOPD will be teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement impaired driving campaign. The primary goal of the increased law enforcement presence will be to help prevent tragedies previously seen around the July 4th holiday.

According to NHTSA, 13,384 motor vehicle crash-related deaths in 2021 involved alcohol-impaired drivers. This represented 31 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States for the year, and a 14.2 percent increase from 2020. That same year, 538 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes over the July 4th holiday alone (6 p.m. July 2 to 5:59 a.m. July 6). Thirty-nine percent (212) of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. With many Fourth of July festivities wrapping up in the evening or late at night, more cars are on the roads at night. Over the 2021 July 4th holiday period, of the 212 people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, 82% of those fatalities occurred in nighttime crashes (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.).

“During the July 4th holiday, we’ll pull over and arrest drunk drivers,” NOPD Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said. “We’re showing zero tolerance. Everyone knows the law: It is illegal to drink and drive. Still, people test the waters and drive after a few too many. We know how to spot a drunk driver on the road. Drunk driving is selfish and arrogant, and it endangers the drivers, their passengers, and other people on the road.”

There are plenty of options to help impaired drivers get home safely, such as designating a sober driver or calling a taxi or rideshare. If you see a drunk driver on the road, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement.

Have a question or correction? Please email NOPD’s Public Affairs Division at nopdpio@nola.gov.