PHOENIX — We are well into the holidays and the Phoenix Police Department wants to make sure people celebrate responsibly -- which means no drinking and driving.
It is only fitting that we're all getting that reminder in December, which happens to be National Driving Impaired Prevention Month.
"We really want to stress to our community about the importance of not driving impaired," Sgt. Maggie Cox with Phoenix Police said.
Cox explains the new enforcement and training when it comes to drunk or drugged driving.
"If you're under the impairment of drugs, you're considered driving impaired," she added.
The Phoenix Police Department received more than $100,000 from the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
"We're using that toward educating our officers on DUI detection and then as well as doing enforcement," Cox said.
As part of the department's mission to keep streets safe, they're informing drivers ahead of time.
"We want to deter people from driving impaired," Cox said.
"The worst thing that can happen is losing a loved one, or getting that call or being notified that your family member was lost because someone chose to drive impaired."
The mobile DUI van is outfitted to help officers enforce Arizona's DUI laws by speeding up the process.
"We are going to be looking because we want to reduce the number of impaired drivers and fatalities on our roads," Cox said.
Ultimately, the message from police is simple this holiday season.
"We want you to get there safely, so have a designated driver, use a ride share app, don't drive impaired," Cox said.
