Impaired driving—whether caused by alcohol or drugs—poses a constant threat on our roads. Late summer and the Labor Day holiday period are among the deadliest times of the year for crashes and fatalities involving impaired drivers.
Over the Labor Day holiday weekends from 2021 to 2025, there were a total of 46 driver fatalities in traffic crashes in Michigan. In those crashes, 39.1 percent of the drivers killed were alcohol- and/or drug-impaired, according to the Michigan State Police (MSP) Criminal Justice Information Center.
In 2025 alone, of the 1,002 fatal crashes that occurred across the state, 248 (24.8 percent) were alcohol-involved and 195 (19.5 percent) were drug-involved.
During the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign—running August 14 through September 7—there will be increased enforcement as well as a statewide paid media campaign about the dangers of driving impaired. During the enforcement, the MSP, along with local law enforcement agencies across Michigan, will encourage motorists to celebrate the late summer and upcoming holiday weekend with safe-driving decisions.
“Choosing to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs puts you, your passengers and everyone around you at serious risk,” said Alicia Sledge, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). “We urge people to make the right choice and find a sober ride home if they intend to take substances that impair driving.”
Sledge said that while impaired driving continues to be a problem on our roadways, there is positive news since alcohol-involved fatalities decreased to 264 in 2025, a 14 percent drop from the 307 deaths in 2024, and drug-involved fatalities fell to 210, a decrease of 23 percent from the 272 deaths in 2024.
“Impaired driving is still a serious issue, but seeing these numbers move in the right direction is encouraging,” Sledge said. “The drop in the number of fatalities shows that outreach and enforcement efforts under the
SAFER by 2030 initiative are having a positive impact.”
SAFER (Statewide Action to Reduce Fatalities Encountered on our Roadways) by 2030 is a collaborative effort among state agencies and traffic safety partners to reduce fatalities on Michigan roadways 30 percent by 2030, emphasizing the three focus areas that save lives: Awareness, Engagement, and Enforcement.
During the enforcement, police officers will be on the lookout for motorists under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although drivers can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign, administered by the OHSP, is supported with federal traffic safety funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Learn more by visiting the
OHSP impaired-driving webpage.
