Impaired driving puts drivers, passengers, and pedestrians at risk, claiming the lives of nearly 100,000 Americans each year. During December, when there’s a spike in travel and celebrations that include alcohol, we are urged to promote responsible behavior to ensure public safety and a pleasant holiday season. So, we had to ask: What is the most important information you need to know about this year’s National Impaired Driving Prevention Month?

👉 Official Name: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
💚 Cause: Raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving
📅 Next Date: December 1-31, 2026
🐦 Hashtag: #NationalImpairedDrivingPreventionMonth, #DriveSober, #DesignateADriver

Keep reading to find out all the important information about National Impaired Driving Prevention Month at a glance: its big picture, why it’s important, and how you can get involved. We’ll then share its brief history, three interesting facts about it, its future dates, and how you’ll never miss any important awareness event again.

The Most Important Information About National Impaired Driving Prevention Month at a Glance

1️⃣ The big picture: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month urges people to make responsible decisions and take appropriate measures to prevent impaired driving in their community. This event prompts Americans to get in the driver’s seat sober and drug-free or let other people drive them. This observance also raises awareness of the issue of distracted driving on a larger scale, which includes the use of electronic devices, phone conversations and texts, or anything that makes us take our eyes and attention off the road. 

2️⃣ Why it is important: 40 million Americans drive under the influence each year, with impaired driving crashes increasing during December as more people travel and attend events where alcohol is served. Moreover, alcohol-impaired crashes have economic losses of $123 billion annually. Drunk driving is also a symptom of a larger problem: alcohol misuse and abuse, which affect young and older people alike. Furthermore, marijuana users are 25% more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use. And each day in the US, nine people are killed and nearly 1,200 are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver.

3️⃣ How you can get involved: Celebrate National Impaired Driving Prevention Month by driving only when you’re sober, looking out for the safety of your loved ones, or avoiding the consumption of alcohol or drugs altogether. You can also raise awareness of the dangers on social media:

1. Drive Responsibly: Lead by example and make sure that you always drive fully sober and under no drug influence. If you use these substances, plan in advance to have an acquaintance drive you home, use a cab, or take advantage of the many ride-sharing apps available nationwide, such as Uber, Lyft, or inDrive. 
2. Look Out For Others: Be a designated sober driver for your friends and family when going to events involving alcohol or other drive-impairing substances. You can also help them choose other safe ways to get home if you cannot drive them. And don’t forget to use social media to share tips about the importance of driving sober. 
3. Avoid the Substances: Have a lively, non-alcoholic party with delicious mocktails and fun games, or plan other activities that don’t involve impairing substances: go to a cinema, hike, try ice skating, or discover a new restaurant. 

The Brief History of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

When was this event established: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month began in the early 1980s to fight the rise of car crashes during the holiday season resulting from impaired driving. This event was advocated for by the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Candy Lightner after her daughter was killed in a drunk driving accident. She challenged legislators to take the issue of drunk and distracted driving more seriously, and, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first official observance, the National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Week.

How has it developed since then: Over the years, many federal organizations have joined forces to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in particular. In addition, they have invested in media campaigns like “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different”; “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”; and “Drive High, Get a DUI”, to encourage safe driving during the holidays. Moreover, all Presidents after Ronald Reagan continued to proclaim December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, including Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

3 Interesting Facts About National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

1. Not Just Substances: Even though using alcohol or drug-related substances is known to cause car crashes, there are other ways in which we can get distracted and put our lives in danger. This includes fatigued, drowsy, or stressed driving, entering navigational information, eating, or simply trying to multitask – like reaching for an object. Even the car radio was urged to be banned in the 1930s, and today, cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year!
2. Interrupted Attention: By not keeping our eyes on the road for just five seconds, we can “miss” the entire length of a football field while driving at only 55 miles per hour. And because a lot of times we drive faster than that, the distance we don’t focus on gets dangerously large. In addition, whatever distracts us, be it a substance or activity, depletes our ability to pay attention to the road for at least half a minute after the distraction ends. 
3. Neglecting the Risk: Despite the risk, about 1 million arrests are made in the US each year for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. What’s more, a survey in 2015 showed that many teenagers would willingly accept a ride from someone who has been drinking. Also, youth who think marijuana is acceptable are more likely to drive drunk or ride with an intoxicated driver when they reach high school. 

Upcoming Dates of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

Impaired Driving Prevention Month is observed every year for the entire month of December.

Never Miss an Important Awareness Event Again

Sources

• Insurance Information Institute: Background on: Distracted driving
• Youth.gov: December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
• News in Health.gov: Safe Driving
• National Library of Medicine: Distracted driving: What is the state of science, and what are our knowledge gaps?
• BRITE: The Dangers of Impaired Driving
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: impaired driving facts
• Talbott Campus: Alcoholism Statistics You Need to Know
• JustThinkTwice.gov: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
• Uber: home page
• Lyft: home page
• inDrive: home page
• AFMC: 12 Tips to Prevent Drunk Driving
• Taste.com: Mocktail recipes that won’t disappoint
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving: December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving: home page
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving: history
• Ronald Reagan President Library and Museum: Proclamation 5918 — National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week, 1988
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: home page
• Office of National Drug Control Policy: home page
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: home page
• The White House.gov: A Proclamation on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, 2023
• Obama White House.gov: Presidential Proclamation — National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, 2015
• National Safety Council: fatigued driving
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Drowsy driving
• Scientific American: Distracted Driving Is More Dangerous Than People Realize
• Edgar Snyder: TEXTING AND DRIVING ACCIDENT STATISTICS 2024