National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, observed throughout December, brings attention to the serious dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is a time to remember the lives affected by impaired driving and to recognize the importance of making responsible choices whenever we travel.

Throughout the month, communities are encouraged to promote safer roads by sharing prevention messages, planning sober rides, supporting friends and loved ones, and learning how alcohol, prescription medications, and other drugs can affect driving ability. By choosing not to drive impaired—and by helping others do the same—everyone can contribute to a safer holiday season and a safer year ahead.

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month is observed throughout December in the United States to raise awareness of impaired driving caused by alcohol, prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, cannabis, and other substances. Its timing reflects the increased travel, social gatherings, and holiday celebrations that traditionally occur at the end of the year. The observance encourages people to plan sober transportation, recognize the risks of mixing substances with driving, and intervene when someone who is impaired intends to drive.

Its history is rooted in the broader American campaign against drunk driving that expanded during the late twentieth century. In the 1980s, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, founded in 1980, helped make alcohol-impaired driving a prominent national public-safety issue. Public pressure contributed to stronger state laws, greater enforcement, public-service advertising, and the establishment of 0.08 as the standard blood-alcohol concentration limit for drivers in the United States. Over time, prevention efforts increasingly acknowledged that impairment is not limited to alcohol and that drugs—whether illegal, prescription, or available over the counter—can affect judgment, coordination, reaction time, and attention.

The December observance reflects this broader understanding of impaired driving. Campaigns associated with it commonly emphasize designated drivers, ride-hailing and taxi services, public transportation, sober hosts, and the importance of securing a safe ride before drinking or using impairing medication. They also stress that a driver may be legally impaired even when a substance was used as prescribed, since individual reactions and drug combinations can vary. Law-enforcement agencies frequently combine education with heightened enforcement during the holiday season, while transportation-safety organizations use the period to publicize crash statistics and prevention resources.

Culturally, National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month has helped shift impaired driving from being treated as a private misjudgment to being recognized as a preventable community hazard. Its message honors people injured or killed in impaired-driving crashes while encouraging friends, relatives, employers, schools, and community groups to share responsibility for prevention. By extending the focus beyond alcohol to drug impairment, the observance reflects changing patterns of substance use and the continuing effort to make holiday travel—and roadway travel throughout the year—safer.