‘Zero-tolerance zone’: NH cracking down on distracted, impaired driving on I-95 over holidays

CONCORD, N.H. — If you’re likely to drive while distracted, impaired or speed along Interstate 95 over the holiday season, think again.

That’s the message from New Hampshire officials, who said Tuesday they’ll have “zero tolerance” for dangerous driving on I-95 over the holiday season.

The initiative aims to deter dangerous driving behaviors and prevent crashes on I-95, a main thoroughfare expected to see long traffic delays as people start traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Ensuring safety on our roadways isn’t just the job of law enforcement – individual responsibility is something we take a lot of pride in here in the Granite State,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in Concord on Tuesday.

“Distracted driving and speeding can be deadly. That’s why I have directed the New Hampshire State Police to implement a ‘zero-tolerance zone’ along the I-95 corridor from Seabrook to Portsmouth through the holiday season. It’s on all of us to keep our roads safe,” Sununu said.

Beginning Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, and continuing through the holiday season, law enforcement officers from state, county and local agencies throughout New Hampshire are also assigning specific patrols across the state “to find and cite or arrest drivers who excessively speed or operate recklessly, distracted, or impaired,” officials said.

The effort is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through grants. Other New England states will be conducting similar initiatives.

Five people have been killed and nine have been injured in crashes on New Hampshire roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period (Wednesday to Sunday of the week of Thanksgiving) since 2019, officials said. Impairment was a factor in four of the crashes.

A total of 2,183 non-fatal crashes happened on New Hampshire roads during Thanksgiving holiday periods from 2019 to 2023.

The New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety “encourages residents and visitors to always comply with the rules of the road and make a plan to get home safely before they drink by designating a sober driver or using a taxi or rideshare app,” officials said.

Anyone who sees a potential drunk driver should make a report to 911 immediately.

Additional Thanksgiving Travel Safety Tips are available on NHTSA’s website.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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