JSO’s announces ‘holiday drive sober or get pulled over’ push after 33 Thanksgiving DUI arrests

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is renewing its focus on impaired driving in the city after officers handled more than 30 DUI arrests during the Thanksgiving holiday alone. It’s part of the “national holiday drive sober or get pulled over” initiative.

JSO says they made 33 DUI arrests for the Thanksgiving holiday. In an effort to protect Jacksonville residents during the upcoming holidays, JSO’s Sheriff T.K. Waters is implementing a new program.

That program focuses on driving violations on our roadways such as impaired driving, street racing, roadway takeovers and aggressive driving.

“Traffic fatalities are one of the leading causes of unnatural death in our community. Though many of those incidents are not intentional many of them are completely avoidable,” says JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters.

According to JSO, the year-to-date traffic fatality numbers have trended down from 194 total in 2021 to 158 so far in 2022. JSO says this is in large part thanks to the public reporting of impaired drivers and their new program, “national holiday drive sober or get pulled over” which will take full effect December 14th and runs through the new year.

Lieutenant Ken Lamb, The Commanding Officer for JSO’s Traffic and DUI enforcement unit, spoke about a recent DUI enforcement operation.

“JSO proactively identified motorists who choose to operate vehicles while impaired. Over the Thanksgiving holiday JSO made 33 DUI-related arrests,” says JSO Lt. Ken Lamb.

JSO suggests making plans ahead of time to travel without getting behind the wheel if it’s likely you may become impaired.

A first-time DUI amounts to a first-degree misdemeanor.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.