Onondaga County, New York-The Onondaga County Traffic Safety Advisory Board (OCTSAB) will host the 39th Annual Donald H. Barrett Lights On Caravan on Saturday, November 19, 2022. Members and stakeholders of the Traffic Safety Advisory Board, which includes representatives from local and state law enforcement agencies and transportation departments, emergency service agencies, as well as concerned citizens and area businesses, will conduct a press conference at the CNY Regional Transportation Authority (Centro) facility at the corner of Cortland Avenue and Tallman Avenue in the City of Syracuse, beginning at 10:00 am. Following the press conference, the caravan will proceed through downtown Syracuse, then various towns and villages and will end at the Manlius Fire Department (8200 Cazenovia Road), where it will conclude for a reception.
The purpose of the annual caravan is to honor and remember victims of drunk and drugged driving, and also to remind all drivers of the dangers of impaired driving at any time, especially during the holiday season. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that nationally, over the past 5 years, an average of 300 people died in drunk driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. In 2020, 659 people lost their lives in drunk-driving-related crashes in the month of December alone. This is a time when friends and families, and people you work with gather to celebrate, and the Traffic Safety Advisory Board is asking everyone to be safe and responsible during the holidays.
In 2014, the caravan was renamed to the Donald H. Barrett Lights On Caravan, dedicating the yearly event to one of the founders who passed away in September 2013.
