Iowa State Patrol warning against drunk driving ahead of New Year’s Eve

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - For many Iowans, New Year’s Eve is the perfect opportunity to go out, dress up, and maybe have a few drinks.

But Trooper Bob Conrad with the Iowa State Patrol says often, he sees too many Iowans drinking without thinking.

“Last year, during this time period in December, for the whole month of December in the state of Iowa, we saw 990 arrests for impaired drivers.” he said.

Conrad says it can happen without you even realizing it. You start off with one drink.

But that one drink turns to two.

And those two drinks can easily turn to four.

“We see more people that are out. They drink to excess because they’re out there for a longer period of time. So, it’s not just going out to dinner, it’s going out to meet up with friends.” he explained.

Roughly 1 in 4 Americans overestimate the amount of alcohol they can drink and still drive safely, according to a ValuePenguin survey.

This is likely why the CDC says there’s one death from an alcohol-impaired crash every 45 minutes.

And another reason why one Iowa City bar, Airliner, is making sure its staff knows when to stop serving someone.

“Slurring of speech and really, visuals,” said Hudson Haynes, Airliner’s General Manager. “If someone’s you know, dozing off or not really looking right, then obviously, that’s the time where you try to get them a water and stop serving them alcohol.”

All in all, both Conrad and Haynes say when it comes to getting home, make a plan to have a designated driver or use a service like Uber.

First offense for operating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Iowa requires two days in jail and a fine... not to mention the people intoxicated drivers can hurt and kill by choosing to operate a vehicle.

And even though alcohol may be the most common drug of choice on New Year’s, Conrad wants to remind drivers that you can and will still get a DUI for using any substance before you get behind the wheel.