Read More: Buckle Up: More Traffic, More EVs on the Road this Thanksgiving
MADD and Waymo Team Up to Combat Drunk Driving During Holidays
Historic data shows that more people die on U.S. roadways on holidays than on non-holidays.

The non-profit and the autonomous driving technology company recently kicked off the 36th Annual Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign.
Photo: Canva
For the fifth consecutive year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has partnered with Waymo to help combat drunk driving on the nation’s roadways during the holiday season.
The non-profit and the autonomous driving technology company recently kicked off the 36th Annual Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign at Waymo’s Lancaster depot. That’s where Waymo will showcase their fleet of autonomous vehicles displaying red ribbons as a reminder to always designate a non-drinking driver.
The designated driver campaign is a decades-long tradition for MADD, which launched its first one in 1986. By tying red ribbons on cars, the MADD campaign reminds people to designate a non-drinking driver during any and all holiday outings.
In recent years, Waymo came on board and throughout the holidays the company displays MADD’s red ribbons on its entire fleet — from their all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs in California to their Class 8 trucks in Texas. The goal is to encourage all consumers to use safe modes of transportation, especially during the holidays when more people are more likely to imbibe.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates 9,560 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2022, which is the largest number of projected traffic fatalities in that time frame since 2002.
As if that isn’t enough, historic data shows that holidays are a particular perilous time on U.S. highways and byways. A report from Zutobi finds that the number of traffic deaths is 30% higher during holidays when compared with equivalent non-holiday periods. From 2016 to 2020, it’s estimated that 10,732 people were killed in car crashes during popular days off.
Thanksgiving is considered to be the worst day for driving, with 2,414 people killed on the nation’s roadways on that day between 2016 and 2020. Christmas ranks as the fifth worst holiday for traffic fatalities, with 1,639 fatalities in the same period.
More Safety

The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
