ABCC Kicking Off 'Operation Safe Holidays,' Cracking Down on Bars Serving Drunk People

MASSACHUSETTS — The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) has plans during the holidays, and that's to 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 on Tuesday.

“This effort supports safer roads throughout Massachusetts during the holiday season,” said Goldberg in a statement. “This kind of enforcement prevents the sale of alcohol to intoxicated people who could put the public at risk. It also establishes a long-term deterrence for bar owners from over-serving.”

The initiative runs in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Impaired Driving Crackdown. The ABCC’s Sale to Intoxicated Persons (SIP) enforcement will be 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, said the announcement.

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

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