The 4th of July should be a fun time for friends, families, and communities to come together to celebrate our independence. Unfortunately driving under the influence can turn a weekend of celebrating into a tragedy for the person driving, everyone on the road, and the community as a whole.

This Independence Day, we are asking you to make the choice to find a safe and sober ride home if you plan to go out and drink. A little bit of sober planning can go a long way. Designated drivers, taxis, and ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber are a much better bet than risking the lives of everyone on the road. If you can’t plan a safe ride home, consider not drinking or staying home.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada Highway Patrol will be focusing their efforts on intoxicated drivers in Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley and would like to remind drivers to not lose their independence on Independence Day. Penalties from a Driving Under the Influence charge include being arrested, losing your license, and heavy fines. This Fourth of July commit to only driving 100-percent sober and don’t be a deadly risk to yourself and other innocent people.

Partnership Douglas County sponsored a free-ride-home service that gave over 130 safe rides home to people that may have had too much to drink before the program was shut-down by the Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA) in October of 2019. Staff from Partnership Douglas County are working to bring the “Don’t Drink and Drive” program back, but have not been met any help from the NTA despite reaching out several times.