Victoria Stresses Safe Driving with Sober Sleigh Ride Program

Before heading off to a holiday party or event, people often forget to arrange a sober ride home for themselves, friends, loved ones or colleagues. This holiday season, Texas Department of Transportation is asking Texans to literally get on board with a message that can save lives.

People in 15 cities across the state will be invited to climb inside the Sober Ride Sleigh, a donated limousine decked out in holiday colors and sporting a giant bow on the roof. The sleigh will make stops at shopping malls and holiday-related events, in which people can pledge to arrange for and accept sober rides during the holidays, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Sober Ride Sleigh will be in Victoria on this afternoon. It will also visit Gonzales, Cuero, Yoakum and Hallettsville.

People can go to soberrides.org to learn how they can enter to win a grand prize - a trip to New York City to celebrate New Year's Eve. There is also the opportunity to win a limousine ride on New Year's Eve in any Texas community.

During last year's holiday season, 776 traffic crashes by people driving while intoxicated occurred in Texas, causing 78 fatalities. The number of fatalities increased by 21.8 percent from the previous year, according to the news release.

Story courtesy of Victoria Advocate