MILWAUKEE, Wis. – As 2025 comes to a close, Wisconsin residents are finalizing their New Year's Eve celebration plans. But with festivities often leading to impaired driving, local students and a longtime rideshare driver are sharing safety tips to help people celebrate responsibly.
Meghan Dziengel, a UW-Madison masters student, believes the key to a great New Year's Eve is managing expectations and planning ahead.
"You always feel like the night's supposed to be more than it is," Dziengel said.
Instead of going out, her family has opted for low-key celebrations for the past 15 years, hosting game nights that stretch into the early morning hours.
"We just have, like, a big game night that goes until like 3 am at least," Dziengel said.
Similarly, Elsie Touchstone, a UW-Milwaukee masters student, plans to keep her celebration intimate.
"I'm going to a house party at my brother's. We're just gonna chill out. We're gonna play some board games," Touchstone said.
Their approach to celebrating comes as Wisconsin faces concerning statistics about holiday impaired driving. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reported that last year's holiday season (between Dec. 15, 2024-Jan 1, 2025) there were 403 crashes involving impaired drivers statewide. Those incidents killed nine people and injured 169 others.
Scott Johansson, who has worked as a Lyft driver for more than two years, has witnessed multiple crashes during holiday periods.
"The roads get very dangerous with drunk drivers," Johansson said.
Johansson reached out to share his perspective because he wants to remind people that paying for rideshare services is safer than risking their lives behind the wheel.
"I'm here, I'm out there working, you don't have to drive," Johansson said.
Both students emphasized the importance of preparation when it comes to safe transportation.
"Make sure you have your Uber set up. Like, know what your plan is, I believe in crashing on people's couches until you're at least, like, 80, you know, like, your back is fine. Sleep on somebody's couch, like, you'll be okay," Dziengel said.
Touchstone also recommended practical preparation for Wisconsin's winter weather.
"Make sure you wear good clothes. So if when you are waiting for, like, your ride share or the bus or whatever, you're not freezing outside," Touchstone said.
The Wisconsin State Patrol offers additional safety reminders for New Year's Eve:
- Always drive sober or find a designated sober driver
- If you know someone about to drink and drive, step in, take their keys away, and help them get home safely
- If you suspect someone is driving impaired, safely gather as much information as you can about the driver and their car, and call 911
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