Stefanie Wolownik, forefront, from Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, said there has been a 77-percent increase in alcohol related fatalities since 2018. A news conference was held Wednesday at state police at Wilkes-Barre warning drivers not to drink and drive this holiday season.
                                 Ed Lewis | Times Leader

Stefanie Wolownik, forefront, from Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, said there has been a 77-percent increase in alcohol related fatalities since 2018. A news conference was held Wednesday at state police at Wilkes-Barre warning drivers not to drink and drive this holiday season.

Ed Lewis | Times Leader

Law enforcement in Luzerne County increasing DUI patrols

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HANOVER TWP. — While Thanksgiving is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season through New Year’s, it is also a time when law enforcement officers encounter more impaired drivers on the roadways.

With statistics showing an increase in alcohol-related crashes resulting in fatalities since 2018, law enforcement in Luzerne County are increasing patrols to alleviate drunken and drug driving.

“It’s the day before Thanksgiving where we see an increase in impaired driving and an increase in binge drinking,” Rebecca Rybak, coordinator for the Northeast Highway Safety Program with the Luzerne County District Attorney’s office.

Rybak was joined by Shawn Noonan, with the Pennsylvania DUI Association, State Police Master Trooper Deanna Piekanski, Stefanie Wolownik, prevention/education supervisor at Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, and police from Nanticoke and Hanover Township at a news conference held at the state police Wilkes-Barre barracks to announce a life saving message: Don’t Drink and Drive.

As Wolownik put it, “We want the best unopened present this holiday season to be your airbag, so please use a designated driver, an Uber, a Lyft or a friend.”

Uber and Lyft are services that provide rides for a fee.

“It’s become an unfortunate trend to drink in excess to the point you pass out,” Noonan said. “Partners in law enforcement would like to remind people that are going out to celebrate this holiday weekend, when you go out, have a plan.

“As the great philosopher Benjamin Franklin said, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Have a backup plan; have something in place that if you have a drink, you can get home safely. No one deserves to have an empty spot at their dinner table this weekend and don’t be the cause for the grief for your family or somebody else’s family,” Noonan added.

The Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services earlier this week kicked of their SOBER campaign (Slow On the Bottle, Enjoy the Road).

This year’s dire message of the dangers of impaired driving means more as statistics involving alcohol related crashes and fatalities have drastically increased the last four years after declines in the last four decades.

“We are seeing a terrible trend the last few years actually right before the pandemic began. There was a 77% increase in drinking and driving-related fatalities,” Wolownik explained. “For some reason in 2018, it started creeping up again. From last year to this year, we’re seeing a 33% increase in alcohol related crashes.”

Piekanski advised travelers to take their time and arrive at their destinations safely.