Press Release  ABCC Kicks Off "Operation Safe Holidays"

Boston — This holiday season the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) will focus enforcement efforts at bars throughout the Commonwealth that have been most identified as the last bar to sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg announced today.

“This effort supports safer roads throughout Massachusetts during the holiday season,” said Treasurer Deb Goldberg. “This kind of enforcement establishes a long-term deterrence for bar owners from over-serving, helping keep the public safe.”

The program is run in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Impaired Driving Crackdown. The ABCC’s Sale to Intoxicated Persons (SIP) enforcement is in effect Thanksgiving Eve through New Year’s Eve.

The ABCC will also be working with local police departments that have identified high risk locations in their communities.

Alcohol is involved in 40 percent of traffic crash fatalities resulting in 17,013 fatalities and injuring an estimated 275,000 people annually. Data indicates that well over 50% of impaired driving arrests originate at bars.

Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is an agency under the Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg. Its overall objective is to provide uniform control over the sale, purchase, transportation, manufacture, and possession of alcoholic beverages in the state.

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