The Daily Mail is reporting state and local police are setting up sobriety checkpoints through New Year's Day as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Troopers will also be watching for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up and drivers who do not exercise extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles stopped in or on the side of the road. The state police are using marked and unmarked cars in the campaign. During the 2014 holiday crackdown, police issued more than 49,000 tickets -- of those, more than 1,700 drivers were cited for distracted driving and another 702 were arrested for driving while intoxicated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers the following tips for staying safe during the holiday season:
▪ Plan a safe way home before the celebrating begins;
▪ Before drinking, designate a sober driver;
▪ If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member;
▪ Use your community’s sober ride program;
▪ If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact local law enforcement; and,
▪ If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to their destination safely.