Driver Sober

From August 19 through Sept. 7, the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Department of Public Safety-Office of Highway Safety, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be working alongside local law enforcement to deter drunk driving and prevent tragedies during the Labor Day holiday weekend. The message is clear: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

During the 2024 Labor Day holiday, there were 505 traffic crash fatalities nationwide. Of these 505 fatalities, 34% (170) involved a drunk driver.

Seventy-seven percent of the impaired drivers killed had a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher. Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday in 2024, 40% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

According to the South Dakota Office of Accident Records, over the past five Labor Day weekends , impaired driving crashes have resulted in 6 fatalities and 51 injuries on South Dakota roadways. This is why the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office is working together with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety-Office of Highway Safety, and NHTSA to remind drivers that impaired driving is not only illegal; it’s a matter of life and death. As you head out to festivities during the end of summer and Labor Day weekend, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking.

If a driver intends to drink during a Labor Day festivity, he or she should plan ahead for a safe ride home by securing a designated driver or calling a taxi or rideshare.

Sgt. Manny Langstraat
Brookings County Sheriff’s Office