Kentucky State Police discusses dangers of drinking and driving ahead of New Year’s Eve

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – During the holidays, two things are certain. There will be more cars on the road, and people will be celebrating, sometimes by drinking alcohol. Local law enforcement says mixing the two can be a deadly combination.

Drunk driving fatalities always spike this time of year with Christmas and New Year’s, and nothing spoils the festivities more than arrests, injuries and deaths.

The Kentucky State Police will be out in force.

Trooper Katan Parker, public affairs officer for KSP Post 3, says, “There will be an increase in police presence. Always. You know, there will be safety checkpoints. I mean, there’s a list of locations on our website if people want to check that. But we want to do that to kind of bring awareness to people that, hey, we are out here and we are looking for those that were trying to ruin a holiday by doing something like drinking and driving.”

According to the National Highway Safety Administration, over 1,000 Americans die in drunk driving crashes in December, so don’t be responsible for that empty space at next year’s dinner table. Do not drink and drive.