If you did any serious driving around the Christmas travel rush, you probably noticed it felt like enforcement was everywhere, and it turns out that was not your imagination. Agencies across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia leaned hard into DUI patrols during the holiday window from Christmas Eve through Sunday night, and the numbers that followed were sobering. Georgia’s Department of Public Safety reported 13 fatalities statewide during the period, along with 239 DUI arrests, a reminder that the holiday spike in traffic can turn deadly fast.

One of the more striking takeaways came from Camden County on the Georgia side of the line, where deputies logged 21 DUI arrests during that same stretch. The sheriff’s office basically put it in plain terms: even after years of reminders and awareness campaigns, too many people still gamble with other families’ lives by driving impaired. And this year’s enforcement push was clearly built around prevention, not just punishment, with high-visibility patrols meant to intercept bad decisions before they turn into tragedies.

Across the river in Florida, Duval County’s arrest log showed 19 DUI arrests during the Christmas travel holiday, while Clay, Nassau, and Flagler counties each recorded one. It only takes one, though, and one incident in Flagler County shows how quickly things can escalate. Deputies reportedly stopped a driver after she was traveling the wrong direction on U.S. Highway 1 in Bunnell, then documented signs of impairment and a breath test reading they said was more than three times the legal limit. Stories like that are exactly why officers treat impaired driving as a priority when the roads are packed.

What makes this especially frustrating in 2026 is that avoiding a DUI has never been easier. Holiday-specific programs like AAA’s Tow to Go have offered a last-resort option for impaired drivers to get themselves and their vehicles home safely within a limited range, and many communities also rally behind free rides on key nights like New Year’s Eve through local law firms and sponsor partnerships. Those seasonal programs come and go, but the bigger point is that rideshares, designated drivers, and planning ahead are always available, even on a random Tuesday.

Now that the holiday travel surge is in the rearview mirror, the lesson still matters, because enforcement and public awareness are not going away. Expect more checkpoints, more targeted patrols, and more messaging that ties real consequences to real lives lost. The safest move is also the simplest one: if you have been drinking or using anything that affects your judgment, do not drive, because the laws are already in place, and the risks are permanent.