The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department will be working extra hours this holiday season to help keep vehicle drivers and passengers safe as they look for impaired drivers.

From December 13, through January 1, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department will partner with the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a special year-end Drive Sober or Get Pulled Overenforcement mobilization to get intoxicated drivers off the street and to spread the word about the dangers of impaired driving.

This holiday season drivers will notice an increase in law enforcement watching for anyone who is driving impaired. The holidays are a special time in America, full of excitement and endless festivities. Oftentimes, these celebrations bring higher numbers of drunk drivers to the roads, endangering those drivers and others. Drunk driving can have deadly, devastating consequences. Nationally in 2016, 37,461 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, and 28 percent (10,497) died in crashes where a driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the limit of .08.

Drunk driving offenders often serve jail time, lose their driver’s licenses, are charged higher insurance rates, and pay dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work. But the ultimate cost of drunk driving is causing a traffic crash that injures or kills.

Follow these tips to stay safe on the road this holiday season:

  • Remember that it is never okay to drive drunk. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation to get home safely.
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact the Texarkana Police Emergency Communications (911).
    • Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
  • .Remember, it is never safe to drink and drive. Texarkana Arkansas Police Department will be looking for drunk drivers. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

More From Kicker 102.5