South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is joining the Western States Traffic Safety Coalition in a special effort this New Year’s Eve to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road.

Other agencies involved in the coalition are the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the California, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming Highway Patrols, the Colorado and Washington State Patrols, and the Idaho and Oregon State Police.

Nationally, during the past five years, an average of 300 people have died in impaired driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  

The 2021 New Year’s holiday period for reporting motor vehicle traffic crashes covers 78 hours, beginning at 6:00 p.m. today and ending at midnight on Sunday, January 3rd.  Last year in South Dakota, there were 61 reported traffic crashes that resulted in zero deaths and 23 injuries. Of the 23 injuries, 11 were a result of alcohol-related crashes.