DOVER, Del. (November 19, 2025) — Today the Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) kicked off its annual holiday road safety campaign — an integrated communications and engagement effort to prevent crashes during one of the heaviest travel times of the year for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The campaign brought back two strong and well-received initiatives anchored by strategies being implemented now through New Year’s Day.

First is the return of Sober Rides, an annual initiative to discourage impaired driving crashes. This year, OHS is providing vouchers of up to $20 from partners Lyft and Uber during designated times, starting with Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 26). In addition, OHS has brought back its Safe Holiday Travels initiative. This comprehensive communications campaign encourages best practices around five key road safety issues: impaired driving, speeding, occupant protection, distracted driving, and pedestrian activities.

An expanded communications and community engagement strategy will provide continuity between the two initiatives and share motivational messaging, embrace multiple elements of roadway safety, and reach communities and populations identified as being at higher risk for driver and pedestrian crashes.

“Our seasonal campaign has always been extremely important, and with recent air travel challenges expected to push more holiday travelers to the roadways, the stakes are even higher this year,” said Sharon Bryson, Director, Delaware Office of Highway Safety. “More vehicles on the road, bad weather, an increase in the number of parties and alcohol consumption, and even the general lighthearted spirit of the season all contribute to higher risk of crashes — and, sadly, fatalities. Our single mission is to keep the holidays happy for all Delawareans by providing the tools and resources that can prevent tragedy. OHS is grateful to all the partners who have gotten behind this vision and are motivating their communities to hear our messages and heed our call to action.”

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 — and in 2024 alone, there were 1,033 crashes involving impaired driving. OHS encourages Delawareans — whether they are walking or driving — to eliminate distractions and always drive and walk sober. If people are planning on consuming alcohol or any other substances during holiday celebrations, they should plan a safe ride home before the festivities begin. OHS Sober Rides, offering discounts on ride shares, offers an ideal way to get home safely.

Sober Rides

For the second consecutive year, the OHS initiative incentivizing Delawareans not to get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking includes ride-share vouchers of up to $20 from both Lyft and Uber. To take advantage of this opportunity, Delawareans should go to mysoberrides.com, where they’ll be able to click to have the voucher directly deposited into their preferred ride-sharing app for a safe ride during these time frames:

• Thanksgiving — Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m., through Thursday, Nov. 27, at 3 a.m.
• New Year’s Eve 2025 — Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m., through Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, at 3 a.m. (subject to change)

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on Thanksgiving Eve 2023, 92 drivers were involved in fatal traffic crashes. Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, participating bars, restaurants, wineries, breweries, liquor stores, and beverage distributors statewide will be displaying Sober Rides materials with a fun yet powerful call to action: “Don’t Be a Turkey. Get $20 off your safe ride home.” In addition, street teams will be in all three Delaware counties to engage patrons at several bars the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Breakthru Delaware has returned for the second year as the top sponsor of the Sober Rides initiative, joining other members of the Delaware business community providing funding for the ride-share vouchers.

“At Breakthru, we’re committed to promoting responsible consumption and supporting the communities we serve. That’s why we’re proud to support the Sober Rides program,” said Tim Daning, Executive Vice President of Breakthru Delaware. “It’s a powerful initiative that doesn’t just raise awareness about the importance of getting a safe ride home, but it also removes the barriers that can prevent people from making that choice. It’s about making the safe choice the easy choice. These special occasions should be about connection, joy, and gratitude, and together we can help ensure everyone gets home safely to their loved ones.”

Safe Holiday Travels

OHS’ Safe Holiday Travels has become an established winter holiday road safety initiative that reaches Delaware’s highest-risk populations with messages that resonate strongly with them — at times and places where they are receptive to learning ways to ensure their holidays remain merry. This year, street teams will attend events in each county, engaging participants with safe-driving trivia and other activities that promote safe driving and pedestrian tips. Events include, but may not be limited to:

• 53^rd Annual Newark Turkey, Newark — Saturday, Nov. 22
• Capital Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration, Dover — Thursday, Dec. 4
• Georgetown Christmas Parade and Caroling on the Circle, Georgetown — Thursday, Dec. 4
• Downtown Milford Holiday Stroll and Christmas Market, Milford — Saturday, Dec. 6
• Milton Holly Festival, Milton — Saturday, Dec. 13

Safe Holiday Travels messaging reminds each Delawarean that they are “where road safety starts this holiday season.” OHS is distributing collateral in English and Spanish at popular holiday destinations/attractions in Delaware as well as by partners including legislative offices, faith-based communities, bars and restaurants, liquor stores, YMCAs, DMV, DelDOT, and DART.

Additional information about the initiatives is available at ohs.delaware.gov. Information on Sober Rides and availability of Thanksgiving Eve ride-share vouchers is available at mysoberrides.com.

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.

Media Contacts:

Kayla Mason

kayla.mason@delaware.gov; 302-744-2517

Taylor Wright

twright@abccreative.com; 302-220-9800

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