MILWAUKEE — With New Year's Eve just days away, troopers with the Wisconsin State Patrol are urging drivers to celebrate responsibly.
Trooper Nicholas Lorenzen said the New Year's holiday is when they tend to see an uptick in impaired drivers. This year, troopers will be out in full force looking for those who chose to get behind the wheel drunk.
“This is an issue that we take very, very seriously (and) have zero tolerance for,” said Trooper Lorenzen.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every day about 28 people in the US die in drunk driving crashes. That's one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation shows more than 6,300 arrest were made for people operating under the influence that was a second offense or higher.
“Which means a criminal offense. So again, it's an issue that we take very, very seriously and just urge people to make responsible decisions,” said Trooper Lorenzen.
Trooper Lorenzen said this is a topic we talk about every year, but it continues to remain a problem.
“Again, law enforcement agencies are going for the appropriate safety measures,” said Trooper Lorenzen.
This year there are many options to getting around safely, like Rideshare via Uber or Lyft.
AAA Wisconsin is offering a Tow to Go service. When called, a tow truck transports the would-be impaired driver and their vehicle to a safe place within a 10 mile radius.
On New Years Eve, MCTS will offer free rides starting at 8:00 p.m. and lasting until 4:00 a.m. Jan. 1st.
