• by Danielle Oster , December 19, 2025

Drunk driving makes the roads particularly dangerous during the holiday season. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired driving led to 4,931 deaths during the month of December for the years 2019-2023.

To address that perennial issue, the Ad Council, the NHTSA, and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), are once again teaming up for the launch of the 22nd annual “Project Roadblock” alcohol-impaired driving prevention campaign.

The campaign, which relies on donated media space by local broadcast TV stations across the country, will run from Dec.26 through the end of the year, with a particular focus on 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve, an especially critical time for the message.

PSAs introduced earlier this year delivered a message around the perils of drunk driving, the importance of planning around a safe ride ahead of time, and reiterate that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

This year’s effort continues a longtime partnership with extensive reach. According to a news release, “Project Roadblock” has reached “virtually every U.S. television household” since its initial launch in 2004. The campaign has received over $200 million in donated media value, resulting in more than 8 billion total impressions, according to the Ad Council.

2024’s “Project Roadblock” campaign ran across 208 out of 210 designated market areas (DMAs) across the country, reaching 99.96% of U.S. households. Last year’s campaign included “more than 65,900 detections of donated local broadcast TV airtime,” and an estimated $6.5 million in media value, a 9% increase in detections and 68% increase in donated media value from 2023.

“Project Roadblock is a powerful example of how local broadcast television can make a real difference,” TVB CEO Steve Lanzano said in a statement. ”Each year, stations across the country use their trusted community connections and unparalleled reach to share this life-saving message that helps keep our roads and families safe during the holidays.”

This year’s campaign arrives on the heels of the Ad Council and NHTSA’s cannabis-impaired driving prevention PSA campaign launched ahead of Thanksgiving.