MILWAUKEE — Thousands of people around Milwaukee will be celebrating New Year's Eve with drinks in hand as they bid farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026, but many are making plans to stay safe.
Nathan Barlow, who is visiting Milwaukee, said he's already made his plans.
"We're going to be walking, most likely, even though it's cold," Barlow said.
Drinking and driving increases over the holiday season, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office couldn't provide specific numbers, they see that increase here in Wisconsin.
Sgt. Daniel Humphreys, with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, said last year in about a three and a half hour period on New Year's Eve night into the day, they arrested 10 separate drunk drivers.
"We'll generally arrest that amount in a weekend, on one night we'll get three or four days' worth of drunk drivers in a very short period," Humphreys said.
Watch: Milwaukee visitors and locals choose walking, buses and rideshares over driving after NYE celebrations
There are several alternatives instead of getting behind the wheel. Molson Coors provides free rides on Milwaukee County Transit System buses from 8 p.m. until service ends in Milwaukee County, and major routes will have service until 4 a.m.
Ride share apps like Uber and Lyft can also get you where you need to go.
Participating Tavern League of Wisconsin establishments offer a safe ride program where the league will reimburse your ride share or cab.
"As bar owners, we don't want anyone to drive drunk," said Lorie Helm with the Tavern League of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County.
The Milwaukee County branch of the Tavern League says they are on track for 1,000 free rides in the county this year, up from 950 last year.
Meanwhile, Barlow says not driving can be more about protecting others than yourself.
"I don't want to cause any harm. We do have a car that we use, which we drove from Minnesota with, but I just feel like it's important to stay safe and keep others safe as well," Barlow said.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
