Still looking for that perfect present? The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) and law enforcement officers statewide have just the right gift that truly says you care – an e-card for a safe, sober ride home.

The online sober driving effort is part of the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. holiday crackdown which begins Dec. 23 and goes through Jan. 3. Two events will kickoff the enforcement and awareness campaign Tuesday (December 22nd) in Saginaw and Holland.

The best way to avoid spending the holidays in jail is to be sure to celebrate responsibly by designating a sober driver, taking a cab or spending the night,” said OHSP Director Michael L. Prince. “The gift of a sober ride home lets you tell friends and family that you care about their safety and disapprove of impaired driving.”

To supplement a national paid advertising campaign to promote awareness, OHSP is launching a new way for friends and family to offer someone a safe, sober ride home with online e-cards available at www.alivefortheholidays.com.  In addition, grant-funded agencies will be offering local bars and restaurants similar drink coasters where patrons can also gift a sober ride.

During the two-week enforcement period, officers in 30 Michigan counties will work more than 7,000 hours of stepped up enforcement aimed at curtailing drunk driving. The extra patrols are paid for with federal traffic safety funds totaling nearly $300,000.

Grant-funded officers will be on patrol in Allegan, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Chippewa, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Ingham, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Marquette, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Saginaw, St. Clair, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne and Wexford counties.

In spite of progress made in reducing drunk driving in Michigan, nearly 37 percent of traffic fatalities involve alcohol and/or drugs. Last year, 379 people were killed in alcohol and/or drug-related crashes including three during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.

A list of participating grant-funded law enforcement agencies can be found at www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

Source:  News release from Michigan State Police