Lane County deputies urge sober ride plans to prevent crashes

Alcohol impairment remains the top factor in Lane County’s serious crashes, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office is warning drivers that the legal blood-alcohol limit is not the same thing as being safe behind the wheel. Deputies said one of the biggest mistakes they see is the belief that staying under .08 eliminates the risk, even though marijuana, medication and combinations of substances can leave a driver heavily impaired.

The office said deputies are watching for the kinds of driving that often signal trouble before a crash happens: speeding, unsafe passing, rolling through red lights or stop signs, and vehicles drifting or moving far below the speed limit while failing to stay in their lane. That kind of behavior, on Lane County roads, is exactly what turns an evening out into an emergency response.

The warning came as Lane County marked April 8, 2026 as National Alcohol Awareness Month and Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The public-safety message was direct: make a plan before drinking starts. Deputies urged people to line up a ride share, plan to sleep where they are, eat food while drinking, or set a hard limit before a concert, wedding, sporting event or night out begins.

If someone appears impaired on the road, the office said to call 911 and leave plenty of space between your car and theirs. That advice reflects the reality that a single impaired driver can put everyone on the road at risk long before flashing lights or a traffic stop.

The broader traffic-safety picture in Oregon shows why the warning is not limited to one campaign month. The Oregon Department of Transportation says its Impaired Driving Program is meant to reduce drunk and drugged driving through education, law enforcement and public outreach. ODOT also says the Oregon Transportation Safety Action Plan is being updated in 2026 and is scheduled to be finalized in October.

State officials say traffic deaths have decreased since 2022, but fatalities and serious injuries remain high and still much higher than they were a decade ago. ODOT’s crash data covers city streets, county roads and state highways, and fatal-crash information can change as reports are updated.

Nationally, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says Alcohol Awareness Month is a chance to update public understanding of alcohol use disorder and alcohol misuse. The institute estimates more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths each year in the United States, and says more than 200 disease- and injury-related conditions are associated with alcohol misuse. Oregon’s June 2024 Impaired Driving Strategic Plan says alcohol-impaired driving has declined slowly over time because of targeted enforcement, media campaigns, community partnerships, education and growing social unacceptability.