On what will become a four-day weekend for many West Virginians, there will be ample opportunity for celebrating the summer and our Independence Day. But as we do so, the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program reminds drivers that, to ensure their personal freedom, they’d better drive sober or not at all. Law enforcement agencies across the state will take part in the Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement impaired driver campaign.

“Everyone knows that it is illegal to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Unfortunately, people push the envelope, believing that they’ll be okay enough to drive. That’s just not true. Whether you’ve had ‘just one drink’ or have consumed an impairing substance such as drugs or certain prescription or over-the-counter medications, your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle could be impaired. If you feel different, you drive different,” said Steven Jarvis, GHSP Impaired Driving Program Coordinator.

In 2021, 538 people died in motor vehicle crashes over the July 4 weekend alone, with 39% of those deaths coming as a result of alcohol-involved crashes. Those are preventable deaths.

All it takes is a choice to stay safe by abstaining from impairing substances, choosing a designated driver, getting a taxi or rideshare; and if you are a host, offering a spot for guests to stay if they need to remain off the roads.

“Drunk driving and drug-impaired driving are selfish and arrogant choices,” Jarvis said. “It puts not only the impaired driver, their passengers, as well as other drivers and passengers who are traveling our roads at higher risk of being in a crash, possibly being injured or killed.”

Selfish, arrogant and the kind of choice that can lead to an arrest and some time behind bars. (One would think the possibility of putting lives in danger would be enough.) Better to avoid all that by making a different choice. Drive sober.