Delaware Office of Highway Safety Celebrates Sober Rides Success and Prepares for Labor Day DUI Crackdown

DOVER, Del. (August 15, 2025) — The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is celebrating the success of its 2024–2025 Sober Rides program while preparing to launch the next phase in the fight against impaired driving: the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign, running August 15 through September 5.

This year’s Sober Rides initiative provided more than 700 Delawareans with safe rides home during some of the year’s most dangerous drinking holidays — Thanksgiving Eve, New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and July Fourth — using $20 ride-share vouchers for Lyft and Uber.

The program was fully funded by the generous contributions of sponsors and community partners, including lead sponsor Breakthru Beverage Delaware, as well as Blue Hen Insurance, Preston Automotive Group, The Starboard, M Insurance Services, Land Rover Wilmington, Liquid Alchemy, Big Fish Restaurant Group, All State insurance agent Daniel Devine, State Farm insurance agent Catie Walther, Grotto Pizza, One Day At A Time Gift Shop, Aloysius Butler & Clark, and Deardorff.

If you’re a business owner interested in learning more about the sponsorship opportunities available for the 2025–2026 Sober Rides program, please reach out to soberrides@abccreative.com.

“Programs like Sober Rides save lives,” said Sharon Bryson, Director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety. “We’re thankful to everyone who made the choice to plan ahead and get home safely instead of driving impaired. As we continue this work, we urge all Delawareans to make safe decisions year-round — not just on holidays.”

Impaired driving in Delaware remains a serious concern. Between 2020 and 2024, the state recorded 641 crashes causing death, with 39% involving alcohol or drugs — crashes that could have been prevented. In 2024 alone, there were 1,033 crashes, 85 serious injuries, and 4,093 arrests involving impaired driving. Males accounted for 71% of impaired driving fatalities in Delaware.

With Labor Day approaching — historically one of the deadliest weekends for impaired driving — OHS and local law enforcement are stepping up enforcement through the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. The initiative combines high-visibility DUI patrols with public education to deter impaired driving and prevent tragedies.

OHS urges drivers to plan ahead before drinking, secure a designated driver, or use a rideshare service like Lyft or Uber. Friends should take the keys from anyone considering driving drunk, and the public is encouraged to report suspected impaired drivers to law enforcement.

Consequences of a DUI in Delaware:

• Loss of driver’s license
• An average of $6,300 in fines, court costs, and attorney fees
• Jail time
• Alcohol and drug counseling ($400–900)
• Installation of an Ignition Interlock device ($480)
• Higher auto insurance premiums

About the Delaware Office of Highway Safety

The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is committed to improving the safety of Delaware’s motoring public by focusing on behavioral traffic safety issues such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle safety, and teen driving issues. FAQs can be found at ArriveAliveDE.com. Follow OHS on the Delaware Office of Highway Safety website, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.