Alcohol, Cannabis and Driving

Talking Points 2019

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Overarching Message

  • Driving drunk or high is dangerous, which is why most Washingtonians don’t do it or approve of it. Be prepared, be safe and don’t drive drunk or high. Make a plan before you party.

Plan Before You Party

  • Driving drunk or high increases your chances of being in a serious or fatal crash.

  • Making a plan before you partake is something that law enforcement, a government agency and business owners shop owners can unite together to support.

  • Eighty-one percent of Washingtonians don’t let friends drive impaired. Instead, they report that they let friends crash on their couch, call them a cab, arrange rideshare, or provide a designated driver. Giving the gift of a sober ride home means a safer and brighter holiday for everyone.

  • As an example of one way to make a plan, we are distributing 1,000 Lyft discount codes through in-person bar visits and online distribution through the holidays in select regions.

  • The discount is limited to the first 1,000 people who add the code to their Lyft app. Claimed codes are valid through the holidays until Superbowl Sunday on February 3, 2020. Each code downloaded is worth $10 off a Lyft ride within the Lyft service area.

  • People can also can download a coupon code at:

  • Our goal is to see that everyone has a sober way home.

  • Giving the gift of a sober ride home means a safer and brighter holiday for everyone.

Impaired Driving Includes Cannabis and/or More than One Substance

  • Nearly half of all traffic deaths in Washington involve an impaired driver.

  • Drivers who are impaired from more than one substance, called poly-drug drivers, are the most common type of impaired driver-involved crashes.

  • The number of poly-drug drivers has increased an average of 15 percent every year since 2012.

  • By 2016, polydrug drivers were more than double the number of alcohol-only drivers and five times higher than the number of cannabis-only drivers involved in fatal crashes.

  • Most people know that it’s a myth that using cannabis after drinking will not make someone a sober and safe driver. Using marijuana after drinking alcohol increases your crash risk. The best way to make sure you get home safely after consuming is to make a plan before you start.

Law Enforcement Launches DUI Emphasis Patrols

  • Washington’s law enforcement agencies will be conducting extra patrols searching for drivers who are impaired from alcohol, cannabis or other substances. The patrols begin statewide Dec 11 and run through January 2.

  • The holiday season increases the probability that there will be a higher volume of impaired drivers on the road.

  • While the extra patrols will increase the likelihood that someone driving impaired will be arrested and prosecuted, the goal is not to apprehend impaired drivers but to prevent people from driving impaired in the first place.

  • The legal consequences of a DUI are severe.

    • $5,000 fine

    • Legal bills of up to $10,000

    • 100% increase in insurance rates

    • One year in jail

    • Suspended license

    • Installation of ignition interlock device on your car

  • The High Visibility Enforcement patrols reinforce our Plan Before You Party campaign. We want people who plan to consume alcohol, marijuana or other drugs to make a plan to get home before they partake. Knowing that there are extra law enforcement patrols is an extra inducement to people to remind them to make a plan before heading out to drink or get high.

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