ROANOKE, Va. – The Virginia State Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have a simple message this holiday season: if you pick up a drink, put down the car keys.
“I always tell people, don’t have the ‘Not Me Syndrome,’” said Virginia State Police Sgt. Lisa Hubert. “Don’t think that you’ve only had one and it’s not going to happen to you. Please don’t have that mindset, because anything is possible.”
“This is all 100 percent preventable,” said Meghan Carter of Virginia’s Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter. Every life lost did not have to happen.”
Drunk driving incidents traditionally rise between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. In 2019, there were 104 alcohol-related crashes in the Roanoke region, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Three people died in those crashes.
Additionally, 45% of all crashes between Thanksgiving and New Years Day are alcohol-related, according to MADD.
“Stay safe and make a plan ahead of time,” Carter said. “We know that lives are being saved.”