ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Advocates are encouraging people to celebrate safely this New Year's Eve and avoid drunk driving. 

"Think about other people. There's going to be other people out there," said Wade Angel of Zephyrhills.

What You Need To Know

  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving is urging people to make plans to celebrate New Year's Eve safely

  • MADD says party hosts should make sure they have room for people to stay the night and be ready to call a rideshare for anyone who's been drinking

  • Wade Angel, who lost his son, William, in a drunk driving crash in 2012, says people need to plan for a designated driver or other safe ways to get home if they'll be drinking

  • Angel said people need to remember drunk drivers don't just impact those in the car they hit, but their families and friends, as well

Angel knows the impact of drunk driving all too well. His son, William Angel, was just 20 years old when he was killed by a drunk wrong way driver on I-275 in 2012. Angel was out of town for work at the time but called home before William headed out with friends that night.

“I could hear him in the background, and then my wife says, ‘You want to talk to William?’ And I said, ‘No, I can hear he’s in the background talking with everybody. Tell him I’ll talk to him in the morning.’ Never got a chance to talk to him again. But what they were discussing was who’s driving. Of course, William was like, ‘I’ll drive,’” said Angel of how his son became the designated driver that night. “That’s what you have to do: make plans. If you’re going to go someplace, go with somebody else and see if they’ll be the designated driver or be the designated driver yourself, but it’s not so hard.”

The West Central Florida Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also recommends planning. Program Manager Sharon Hall said it’s everyone’s responsibility to prevent impaired driving. She urges people hosting parties to arrange rideshares or have room available for people to stay the night if they’ve been drinking. Hall said any amount of alcohol will impair judgment and decision-making skills.

“This is a lifelong sentence that families and friends endure when a loved one is taken from us,” said Hall, who lost her son to a drunk driver 15 years ago. 

Hall said the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged 3,882 people with DUI so far in 2023 and there were nearly 800 crashes involving an impaired driver. She reminds drivers that the sheriff’s office, Tampa Police, and Florida Highway Patrol will all be conducting saturation patrols this weekend. 

Drunk driving is a year-round problem, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting 13,384 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2021 — up 14% from the year before. When it comes to New Year’s Eve, the National Safety Council reports that records show 40% of traffic fatalities for the New Year’s Day holiday period in that same year involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

Angel said the ripple effects from his son’s death continue to be felt years later.

“Imagine where every joyous occasion is immediately followed by sorrow,” he said. “When William’s brother came home and said, ‘I proposed to my girlfriend, we’re getting married,’ we were so happy. And its immediately followed with, ‘That’s something we’ll never experience with William.’”

Before the pandemic, Angel spoke on MADD’s victim impact panel. He said that hasn’t yet resumed, but he continues to share William’s story.

“It’s not just the person you hit. You’re affecting their entire family and everybody that knew them. So, that’s what I’m trying to push on people. Really, it’s the reason why I talk about it is to get through to people, and maybe it’ll save their life,” Angel said.

AAA’s Tow to Go program is currently activated for the holidays. Members and nonmembers can call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246 if they’re impaired and a tow truck will come to take drivers and their vehicles home or to a safe place within ten miles. According to AAA, the program is meant as a safety net for drivers who haven’t planned ahead. It encourages people to find a designated driver ahead of time if they know they’ll be drinking.