Connecticut officials want residents and visitors to practice safe driving during the holiday season.
Law enforcement officials on Monday urged residents and visitors to practice safe driving. Conditions like rain and snow require careful driving. Officials also warned about impaired driving.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz advised residents to use designated drivers if they drink and to be wary of over-the-counter medications or prescriptions that can impair driving. Bysiewicz said state law enforcement will be on patrol during the holidays.
“Whether you're out shopping for friends and family, continuing to work or traveling to see your loved ones, you should feel safe while you're doing that," Bysiewicz said.
The state has installed more than 200 detection systems to prevent crashes from wrong-way drivers. Bysiewicz said the technology is posted at various points along the highway that contain flashing lights when it detects a car driving in the wrong direction. She said the system has prevented more than 600 potential crashes.
The state's Department of Emergency Services and Protection said data points to an increase in impaired driving during the holidays. DESPP’s Division of Scientific Services, Dr. Jessica Gleba, is the director of the Forensic Lab Operations. The data shows that 14 percent of samples from impaired drivers in 2025 showed the presence of 10 or more drugs. Gleba said it has increased since 2022, when the number was 6 percent.
Gleba said there has been an increase in cases of drivers impaired by fentanyl. They found that some Connecticut impaired drivers were under the influence of medications like antidepressants, like zoloft or over-the-counter medicines like Benadryl.
“What stands out is that it's not just alcohol combined with one drug; we are seeing multiple drugs used together and often combined with alcohol,” Gleba said.
DESPP State Commissioner Ronnell Higgins said there will be major penalties for intoxicated drivers. Each driver who is arrested due to impaired driving will also receive a drug test.
“We take this seriously. If you are caught, you will be arrested, you will be presented for prosecution, which means you will have to appear before a judge in the state of Connecticut,” Higgins said. “I don't know how clearer I could be. So don't do it."
