Milbank Police Remind Drivers to Heed DUI Warning
Milbank Police Remind
Drivers to Heed DUI Warning
During this busy winter holiday season, the South Dakota Department of Highway Safety, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Milbank Police Department are teaming up to remind drivers: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. This high-visibility impaired driving awareness campaign runs December 12, 2025, through January 1, 2026.
Local law enforcement agencies will have increased enforcement efforts during this timeframe to ensure everyone stays safe on the roadways.
Driving impaired is not only illegal, but also very dangerous and never acceptable. Thousands of lives are lost each year across the country due to traffic crashes involving an impaired driver.
South Dakota Office of Accident Records reported that in South Dakota alone, during the 2019-2023 December months specifically, 15 people were tragically killed and 237 others were injured in alcohol involved traffic crashes.
In 2023, Grant County reported 68 state reportable traffic crashes which resulted in 31 injuries and one fatality. Six of those traffic crashes involved alcohol which accounted for 5 injuries.
In 2024, Grant County reported 24 state reportable traffic crashes which resulted in seven injuries and one fatality. Two of those traffic crashes involved alcohol which accounted for two injuries.
Fortunately, Grant County is seeing a positive, decreasing trend regarding alcohol involved traffic crashes as well as driving under the influence (DUI) offenses.
According to the Grant County Clerk of Courts, there were 60 DUI convictions in 2023. In 2024, there were 39 DUI convictions.
“With only a few weeks left in 2025, there have already been 22 DUI convictions as of the beginning of December 2025,” said Jake Folk, Milbank Police Department.
The Milbank Police Department is hopeful that the combination of education, enforcement, community support, and safe decision making will continue to decrease the number of drivers who choose to drive impaired.
Please plan ahead if upcoming holiday festivities include plans to drink. Designate a sober driver or have an alternate, safe method of transportation home.
“We want everyone in our community to have a joy-filled holiday season,” said Folk. “But we also want everyone to do so responsibly, and that means refraining from drinking and driving.”
For more information on impaired driving, please visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/drive-sober-or-get-pulled-over and https://drivesafesd.com.
