Newton County, Arkansas. Beginning December 16th, 2022, through January 1, 2023, The Newton County Sheriff's Office Department conducted a special traffic enforcement operation targeting impaired drivers throughout the holiday season.

"We don't want impaired drivers on our roadways placing our community at risk," Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said. "The goal is to discourage impaired driving and make our state and county roadways safer for our children.

According to NHTSA, 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, and one person was killed in a drunk driving crash every 45 minutes in 2020. This is why the Newton County Sheriff's Office partnered with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, but also a matter of life and death. As you head out, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

"It's so important that drivers act responsibly, and that includes refraining from impaired driving. "The holidays are a special time of year for many, and we want our community members to enjoy the season. We need commitment from drivers that they'll keep the roads free of drunk drivers so that everyone can be safe and make it home to their families. This enforcement period allowed us to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives.

It is essential to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave for the party. There are too many resources to get you home safely. We must put a stop to this senseless behavior.

The special enforcement program focuses on high visibility traffic enforcement in hopes to limit the number of impaired drivers on our roadways.

Deputies with the Newton County Sheriff's Office worked a total of 161 hours of overtime this holiday season to ensure that your families would remain safe during the holiday season.

The efforts of local law enforcement resulted in a total of 11 arrest for DWI's and outstanding warrants.

Deputies issued a total of 2 seat belt citations, 2 child restraint citations, 3 speeding citations, 4 no driver's license citations, 1 distracted driving citation, 13 suspended driver's license citations, 27 uninsured vehicle citations, 1 felony arrest and 1 misdemeanor drug arrest.

Deputies also issued a total of 69 traffic warnings for seat belts, speeding, defective equipment, and distracted driving.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Arkansas Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Since this project was funded by the State, Deputies only worked the enforcement during their time off. Therefore, not only did it make our roads safer, it was done without spending the county salary budget" Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said.

For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement period, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.