Holiday Program Coincides with National Impaired Driving Crackdown

BOSTON – To ensure safety for the citizens of Massachusetts, the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) will be conducting alcohol enforcement operations at bars in major Massachusetts cities on New Year’s Eve. The primary objective will be to prevent impaired driving and other alcohol-related harm on the holiday known for heavy alcohol consumption. The ABCC will focus enforcement efforts at bars identified as the last to sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver, as well as locations recognized by local police as a source of disturbances.

“This effort supports safer roads during the holidays,” said Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who oversees the ABCC. “This kind of enforcement establishes a long-term deterrence for bar owners from over-serving, helping to keep the public safe.”

The program is run in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Impaired Driving Crackdown, from Thanksgiving Eve through New Year’s Eve, and is funded through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security - Highway Safety Division. The ABCC will also be working with local police departments that have identified high-risk locations in their communities.

In 2014, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 9,967 deaths (31 percent of overall driving fatalities). Excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S is responsible for an average of 80,000 deaths each year an estimated cost of $223.5 billion. Data indicates that well over 50% of impaired driving arrests originate at bars.

The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is an agency under the Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg. Its overall objective is to provide uniform control over the sale, purchase, transportation, manufacture, and possession of alcoholic beverages in the state.

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