On Christmas Eve, a caravan of illuminated Jeeps drove along the Las Vegas Strip in the "Christmas Eve Cruise The Strip Light Drive," showing photos of people who died in impaired driving incidents. The event was organized by traffic safety groups, local police, and the Desert Wrangler Jeep Club, as per 8 News Now. Nevada recently passed Assembly Bill 4, which raises the maximum penalty for causing death while driving under the influence from 20 to 25 years, with parole eligibility after 10 years.
Among the demonstrators was Jerry Vesely, whose daughter was killed by an impaired driver. He told News3LV, "It continues to break my heart every anniversary, every holiday, just something that can be denied, you don't have to do this stuff." He encouraged people to use alternatives to driving under the influence, such as calling someone or using a designated driver.
STOP DUI, which provides courses for cited drivers, and the Desert Wrangler Jeep Club held a Christmas Eve cruise to honor victims of impaired driving. The event is open to all, not just Jeep owners. Patti Zapparolli, club president, said, "The annual drive was originally to help a fellow Jeeper, and once we took it over, we decided we wanted to, as a club, to give back to our community." Sandy Heverly, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Stop DUI, said, "I can tell you they are not strict enough, and until we have a penalty that outweighs the risk these drunken fools are willing to take, it’s going to continue. That is what we need, we need something to really get their attention," as per News3LV.
