Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Kickoff Event

As Prepared For Delivery

Good morning and thank you for joining us today. I’m Jonathan Morrison, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I’m pleased to welcome you all to the District E esports arena as we kick off our winter holiday Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign.

I’d like to start by sharing some news with you about what we’re seeing on our nation’s roads. Today we’re releasing new early estimates for fatalities over the first nine months of the year, and we’re pleased to see a continued decline as compared to 2024. We’re projecting a decrease of about 6.4% from the same time in 2024, all while Americans drove about 25 billion miles more.

The fatality rate for the first nine months of 2025 decreased to 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the projected 1.19 fatality rate from the same time in 2024.

Now, far too many people continue to be killed on our nation’s roads, since we’re estimating that more than 27,000 people died in traffic crashes from January to September 2025. And that’s why we’re doubling down on solutions that work, including partnering with law enforcement to ensure drivers are obeying traffic laws.

Alcohol-impaired driving was a factor in more than 12,000 deaths in 2023 alone, accounting for 30% of all traffic fatalities. And we know that the holidays bring parties and celebrations, so we want to remind everyone to plan ahead and arrange for a sober ride home if they’ve been drinking or using anything else that impairs their ability to drive.

Impaired driving is 100% preventable. Starting this Friday, Dec. 12, through New Year’s Day, law enforcement officers nationwide will be stepping up their patrols to identify and stop impaired drivers. They may be the reason why a family makes it home safe instead of being killed by an impaired driver.

We are honored to be joined by officers from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, and Virginia’s Arlington County and Fairfax County Police Departments today. I want to thank every officer for their work on our nation’s roads, as well as our safety partners, states, cities and more who will help support this campaign.

Officers will also be on the lookout for drug-impaired drivers, as cannabis and other drugs can impair someone’s ability to drive safely. Driving impaired by a drug, even one prescribed by a doctor, can result in a DUI just like alcohol. Like our campaign says, Drive High, Get a DUI.

We want everyone to celebrate responsibly, whether that’s at a holiday party, a sporting event, a concert, or ringing in the new year.

Please make a plan for a sober ride home if you’ll be drinking or using anything that impairs your ability to drive. Designate a sober driver, call a cab, order a rideshare, or use public transit. And if you’re hosting guests, make sure to look out for them and help everyone get home safely.

I also want to thank all of the members of law enforcement who will be out patrolling over the holiday season, working to ensure our roads are as safe as possible. They put themselves in harm’s way to serve us, so if you see a vehicle with flashing lights, please slow down, move over, and give them space to work.

Let’s all do our part to make this holiday season a safe one so everyone can be together again next year. Thank you for joining us, and have a happy and safe holidays and new year.