MILWAUKEE — With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, groups across Milwaukee are working to make sure everyone stays safe while celebrating.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office(MCSO) is doing so by focusing on drunk driving this holiday.
“We always increase patrol around New Year’s,” Dan Hansen, a sergeant at MCSO, said. “There’s a lot of crashes, a lot of drunk drivers, and there’s times we have four or five people in our substation waiting to do their breathalyzer.”
Other first responders like the Milwaukee Fire Department are also prepared. On-duty Battalion Chief Chris Brown said there will be over 200 people stationed across the city.
“If you run into us, it’s probably not for best reason. As much as we love all the people in the city, we’ll be better off not crossing paths that night,” Brown said.
Wisconsin State Patrol said in a Facebook post that in 2022, there were more than 7,000 impaired driving crashes in Wisconsin that killed 184 people.
Both first responders advised anyone drinking to leave their car at home and use other resources across the city.
“Be smart, be safe, and don’t ignore realities. If you’re out, have a good time, but drink in moderation,” Brown explained. “Have a designated driver or use Uber. It’s a lot better to pay the extra fee than end up in a bad situation.”
Local bars including WurstBar and both Milwaukee Brat House locations will have free shuttle transportation to any paying or non-paying customer to “help deter drunk driving and alleviate the stress of Uber/Lyft surcharges”, according to a press release.
Milwaukee County Transit System(MCTS) also partnered with Miller Lite to offer free bus rides on all routes on New Year’s Eve. The service starts at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday and goes through the end of the regularly scheduled service.
For more information, you can visit their website.
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