Florida Law Enforcement Targets Impaired Driving This Holiday Season

Holiday-themed graphic with "December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month" text on a red surface scattered with blue ornaments and blurred background lights.

Florida sees a spike in drunk driving crashes every December

State and local police in Florida are taking a tough stance against drunk driving this holiday season as part of a nationwide effort to cut down on the number of car accidents this time of year caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol.

“The holiday season is a time for celebration, but it also remains one of the deadliest periods for impaired driving,” according to the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Holiday Campaign organized by the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program. “Each year, lives are lost because of drivers who choose to drive under the influence.”

How common are drunk driving accidents during the holidays?

Unfortunately, drunk driving accidents often occur during the holiday season in Florida. Each year, the number of drunk driving accidents and fatalities in Florida soars higher in December, according to accident data collected by Drive Sober Florida. Only the month of March had slightly more drunk driving fatalities and accidents on average in Florida each year.

This is why state and local police in Florida have focused on educating the public about the dangers of drunk driving during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. So if someone drives drunk in Florida this holiday season, they can expect to be stopped by police and punished for their actions.

And Florida isn’t alone. Across the nation, many states are taking a tough stance on drunk driving this holiday season. That’s because drunk drivers caused 1,038 car accident fatalities in December 2023 across the country, according to the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program.

What is being done to prevent drunk driving accidents this holiday season?

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and local police in Florida are taking a wide-ranging approach to educating drivers about the dangers of impaired driving and preventing drunk driving accidents statewide this holiday season. According to the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program, such steps include:

Increasing drunk driving enforcement statewide, including setting up more drunk driving checkpoints.
Elevating public awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.
Using social media and local resources to get the message out about drunk driving and its consequences.

Is drunk driving a problem in Florida?

Unfortunately, yes. Despite ongoing educational programs about the dangers of impaired driving during the holidays and year-round, many Florida drivers continue to drive drunk and cause serious or fatal car accidents throughout the state.

Between 2014 and 2023, drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.08 percent caused 851 car accident fatalities per year on average in Florida, according to accident data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Drunk drivers in Florida also caused 1,030 fatalities in 2021 and 932 deaths in 2022, according to NHTSA data.

If you’ve been injured by a drunk driver, we’re in your corner

You might think you don’t even need a lawyer if you were hit and injured by a drunk driver. After all, you didn’t do anything wrong. The other driver was clearly at fault, right? Don’t be so sure.

In many cases, getting the financial compensation and support you deserve can be a lot more difficult than you would expect. That’s because insurance companies are corporate businesses that care only about making money, not about making crash victims whole again.

Our Florida drunk driving accident attorneys at Personal Injury Legal Solutions know how to handle complex claims involving impaired drivers. As a result, we won’t waste a minute getting right to work on your case and finding the facts that matter. From obtaining a copy of your official accident report to conducting our own in-depth investigation, we leave no stone unturned in pursuit of justice.

If you or someone you love was injured by a drunk driver, contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation. We handle personal injury claims and lawsuits throughout Central and South Florida, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.