NORFOLK, Va. — New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration, but traffic safety officials in Virginia and North Carolina are urging drivers to be safe.
Over the years, the holiday weekend has also become a dangerous time on the roads.
In Hampton Roads, preliminary data from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles shows 133 crashes, 77 injuries, and three deaths in the region between December 31, 2022 and January 1, 2023.
Alcohol played a role in more than 20 of those collisions.
The numbers are higher than the previous year when the region saw 117 crashes and 51 injuries in the same time period leading into 2022, and 184 crashes and 95 injuries in 2021.
“They need to make a plan to get home,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
New Year’s Eve is one of the more dangerous weekends on the roads, along with Super Bowl Sunday and Halloween, according to Ezzell.
In North Carolina, more than 700 crashes statewide left seven people dead and more than 370 people hurt over the holiday in 2022, according to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.
Ezzell said the main thing drivers should remember: make a plan before going out.
“Also if you have a gathering, recognize that you have a responsibility to make sure all of the people who are attending that gathering make it home safely,” he said.
State troopers in North Carolina and Virginia are ramping up patrols to pull over impaired drivers through the holiday weekend.
“Driving drunk is never an option. There are too many community resources that can and will help you get home safely,” said Ryan Adcock of AAA Tidewater.
AAA Tidewater estimates 2.8 million Virginians are driving farther than 50 miles this holiday season, including to celebrate the new year. Those dates apply from December 23 to January 1, 2024.
Adcock encourages people to use rideshares or a designated driver.
“Paying for a safe way to get home is a heck of a lot cheaper than paying for a DUI,” he said.
Drive Safe Hampton Roads (DSHR) is once again partnering with the ride-share app Lyft to ensure local residents have a safe time ringing in the new year.
Traffic safety experts say it’s also important to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists, as crashes involving people on foot have also gone up.
Since 2020, Ezzell said the number of traffic fatalities and pedestrian deaths have risen in North Carolina, and it’s important to watch out for people in commonly walked areas.