Oklahoma City — The Oklahoma ABLE Commission, Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other local law enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations will gather to hold the Oklahoma County Tree of Life Ceremony and announce the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization. The goal of both campaigns is the same: to remind drivers to keep impaired driving off all roadways this holiday season.
“We are grateful to join forces with other agencies about the dangers of impaired driving,” said Oklahoma Highway Safety Office Director Paul Harris. “Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal, dangerous, deadly and entirely preventable. Everyone deserves to make it home safe and sound.”
The Tree of Life Ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday, December 9th at 10:00 a.m. at the Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City, showcases the long-lasting and devastating consequences of the local lives lost to impaired drivers. Newly located on the upper floor of the west wing, a Christmas tree will be decorated with ornaments of deceased loved ones with 146 wrapped gifts to represent the 146 people that died at the hands of an impaired driver in Oklahoma County since 2020. The public and media are invited to attend.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national mobilization will start on Friday, December 12th, and will run through Thursday, January 1, 2026. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies will increase law enforcement efforts to stop impaired drivers from driving on Oklahoma roadways. The initiative is to make roads safer for everyone during peak holiday traveling and celebrations.
“Since 2020, there have been 146 lives that have been lost in Oklahoma County at the hands of someone who chose to drive impaired,” said Assistant Director Lori Carter of the Oklahoma ABLE Commission. “We’re entering a season of celebrating and spending time with loved ones. Everyone needs to do their part to drive sober and be safe on the roads.”
For more information on the Oklahoma County Tree of Life Ceremony, contact Lori Carter at 405-208-1140 or lori.carter@able.ok.gov or Vanessa Blain at 405-215-7382 or vanessa.blain@able.ok.gov.
For more information on the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign and mobilization, contact Megan Cardenas at 405-694-6289 or megan.cardenas@dps.ok.gov.
About the OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE (OHSO): As a division of the Department of Public Safety, OHSO’s vision is to create and maintain an environment where Oklahoma roadways are safe for everyone. Through strategic partnerships with law enforcement and nonprofits across the state, OHSO develops and supports programs that enforce traffic laws, educate the public on traffic safety and provide varied and effective strategies to reduce fatalities, injuries and economic loss.
Established by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1967, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office works closely with local, state, and federal partners to combat the increase in the number and severity of traffic crashes and fatalities.
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
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