Reminders: Don’t drink and drive this New Year’s Eve

many people will cheers with a drink to the New Year tonight but that comes with risk on the road 22 news reporter Clare Overton has reminders from local police departments be responsible and plan ahead all around the world people are ringing in the new year some with a few drinks but after you finish those drinks make sure you are prioritizing your safety and the safety of those around you it's costly dangerous for the public and for uh for the for the operators and for whoever's in passengers in their cars lllo police chief Daniel vades told 22 News they looked back at the past roughly 10 years of statistics and have seen change we have seen an increase in that uh particularly at this municipality we looked at stats for over 10 years and we saw that our drug driving uh double fold increase while our trunk driving went up about 25% he also said with any additional weather like the possibility of rain tonight there is always an increase in traffic accidents so take extra caution on the roads to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and most importantly makes it home safely local police departments have a few reminders this Springfield Police Department is urging anyone going out to have a plan for who will be a sober designated driver or prepare a ride share service also do not hesitate to call 911 if you see a car driving erratically many police stations across the country will have more patrols on the roads for this reason ouis are operating Under the Influence carry Hefty fines and the possibility of a suspended license if you refuse a breathalyzer test know your legal limit and overall take the keys out of the equation be safe and sober on the roads we want people to get home safely we want people to you know enjoy their holiday wake up in the morning and everything's good they say before you leave for your holiday celebration or party make your plan because if you wait until you're Under the Influence your decision- making is impacted working for you CLA Overton 22 News