If you feel different, drive differently. If you drive drunk, you will be charged with drunk driving:

CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remind motorists and motorcyclists to drive and ride sober as summer comes to a close. The National If you feel different, drive differently The campaign runs from August 16, 2024 to September 2, 2024. The goal of this anti-drug driving mobilization is to prevent drug-induced driving and to arrest impaired drivers caught on the road. The GHSP urges motorists and motorcyclists not to drive under the influence of drugs, whether from alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medications.

“We want everyone to enjoy the last month of summer and Labor Day, but we also want to make sure everyone acts responsibly on West Virginia's roadways,” said Jack McNeely, director of the GHSP. “If you are impaired by any substance, you should never drive.”

Police will be out and about working to identify impaired drivers and remove them from the road. A key component of drug driving enforcement is the Drug Evaluation Classification (DEC) program, which trains officers as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) to identify impaired drivers affected by seven major drug categories.

Initial estimates show that by 2023, nearly 62 percent of traffic fatalities in West Virginia were due to positive signs of drug use, whether illegal or prescription. The combination of various drugs, prescription medications, and alcohol is especially dangerous because there is no way to truly know how different combinations of impairing substances may affect you and your ability to drive.

“The If you feel different, drive differently “The campaign is an awareness and enforcement effort to spread the message that driving under the influence of alcohol is not only illegal, it costs lives. Let's make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior,” McNeely said.

By working together, we can save lives and help keep West Virginia's roads safe. It takes the commitment of our communities, our political leaders, and state and federal agencies to make a difference and reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths. Please help GHSP and NHTSA spread this lifesaving message. If you feel different, drive differently. For more information on driving under the influence of alcohol, see nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drug-impaired driving.

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.​