MEDIA RELEASE: Keep the Holidays Bright - Don’t Drink and Drive!

Last Updated: 12/10/2025

The holiday season is a time for gathering with our friends and family, but often, these parties and celebrations include alcohol, increasing the risk of impaired driving. In rural communities, like Tioga County, roads are darker, distances are longer, and emergency response times can be slower so the consequences of impaired driving can be especially devastating!

Tioga County Public Health in partnership with the Tioga County Advocacy, Support, and Prevention (ASAP) Coalition, and Tioga County Sheriff’s Office is urging everyone to make a plan before you celebrate. If you’re drinking, don’t drive. It’s that simple.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in the combined Decembers of 2019-2023, there were 4,931 fatalities in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver in the United States. In December 2023 alone, 1,038 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, and drunk male drivers were involved in fatal crashes at a much higher rate (22%) compared to female drivers (18%). Young drivers ages 21-34 accounted for the highest percentage (27%) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes in December 2023, followed by drivers ages 35 – 44 (24%). All of these tragedies were 100% preventable!  

“We all know each other in small communities like ours,” said Trevor Yaeger, Captain of Operations at Tioga County Sheriff’s Office “When someone is hurt or killed in a crash, it affects the whole community. We want everyone to make it home safely this holiday season.”

Tips for a Safe Holiday Season:

• Plan ahead: Designate a sober driver before the festivities begin.
• Talk to teens and young adults: Have open conversations about the risks of impaired driving and peer pressure.
• Host responsibly: Offer non-alcoholic drinks and ensure guests have a safe way home.
• Offer rides: If you aren’t drinking, offer to help others get home safely.
• Speak up: If someone’s been drinking, don’t let them drive—even if they insist they’re “fine.”
• Lead by example: Make safe choices yourself and encourage others to do the same.
• Drive defensively: Stay alert, especially if out driving at night when impaired driving is more common 

Let’s work together to keep our roads safe. If you see or suspect someone is driving under the influence, call 911 immediately. Your actions could save a life!

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