RICHMOND, VA – On Aug 26th, Virginia launches its new enhanced 2024 DUI enforcement and public education campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Governor Glenn Youngkin kicked off the campaign alongside law enforcement, medical professionals, and EMS responders who work tirelessly day and night to save lives from the dangers of drinking and driving. The campaign is in its 23rd year of reminding Virginians of the consequences of impaired driving. An increased enforcement period for Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over takes place from August 14, 2024 through the Labor Day holiday. 

Last year, there were 6,979 alcohol-related crashes on Virginia roads—resulting in 293 deaths and 4,400 persons injured. The number of people killed increased nearly seven-percent (6.9%) compared to 2022.  

“Virginia’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is a multi-faceted effort to prevent and stop impaired driving in the Commonwealth via both stepped-up law enforcement to identify and apprehend impaired drivers and, in tandem, a public education campaign aimed at preventing impaired driving before it begins,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. 

130 Virginia law enforcement agencies will participate in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign through Labor Day. A total of 610 individual saturation patrols and 95 sobriety checkpoints will be conducted across the Commonwealth.  

“Drunk driving is a gamble with lives, where the stakes are too high and the consequences unforgiving,” said Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Gerald Lackey, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “In this new research-based campaign, we highlight the substantial costs of drunk driving, aiming to make the financial impact a powerful motivator. Yet, beyond the wallet, we reveal the true cost of reckless behavior – potentially the loss of your own life or someone else’s.” 

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over reminds Virginians to get a safe ride home after drinking or face arrest. The campaign uses public safety messages and high-visibility enforcement to keep impaired drivers off the road. The campaign is supported by new research from the market research company Dynata which this month conducted a survey of 256 Virginia drivers whom are most likely to drive after drinking: 21 to 35-year-old males. Amongst other findings, the research showed that while nearly all (92%) of the 21-35 year old male drivers surveyed in Virginia believe it is very important to make a plan to get a safe ride home after drinking, only half (54%) always plan ahead for a designated driver. 

Since the start of the campaign in 2002, there has been notable progress in reducing drunk driving in Virginia. Alcohol-related traffic crashes have decreased by 38%, fatalities have decreased by 18%, and injuries have been nearly halved (46%) (2001 vs.2023, Virginia DMV). The joint effort between trauma care partners and law enforcement helps to communicate a simple message that drinking and driving costs more than your drinks and to not pay for such “with your livelihood or, worse, your life.” 

“I regularly see, first-hand, the devastating consequences of impaired driving,” said Medical Director of VCU Medical Center’s Level I Trauma Center Dr. Michel Aboutanos. “In as much, I’m reminded that every impaired driving fatality, injury, crash and arrest is 100-percent preventable. It is crucial that everyone does their part in discouraging and preventing impaired driving.” 

Virginia State Police personnel will work through the Labor Day holiday as part of Operation CARE – the Crash Awareness Reduction Effort. CARE is a nationwide, state-sponsored traffic safety program that aims to reduce traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries caused by impaired driving, speeding, and failing to use occupant restraints. Virginia State Police’s participation in the program will begin August 30 and run through September 2, 2024. 

“When Virginians choose to get behind the wheel after drinking, they risk their lives and the lives of others. Virginians statewide can expect to see state and local law enforcement on the Commonwealth’s roadways through the Labor Day holiday as we seek to apprehend impaired drivers through the conducting of nearly 100 sobriety checkpoints and over 600 saturation patrols,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Colonel Gary T. Settle. 

Complementing the enforcement effort, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over has this year unveiled a newly enhanced and research-based public awareness campaign entitled “What’s the Damage?” This campaign aims to deliver fresh creative paired with impactful messaging and will be seen across Virginia reminding motorists of the costs of drunk driving and to plan a safe ride home before drinking. The campaign’s new digital creative can be seen at WhatsTheDamage.org with accompanying TV and radio spots to be produced in September. 

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a high-visibility enforcement campaign aimed at preventing impaired driving and improving safety for all road users through awareness messaging and increased law enforcement presence on the road. Virginia’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is supported by a grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to the Virginia-based nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP).