The holiday season is both a joyous and stressful time for many Americans. There is an abundance of holiday festivities and family get-togethers, errands and last-minute shopping, school holiday performances and so much more. The plethora of parties and stressful situations can lead to an increase in alcohol, which can result in the choice to drive drunk. Wherever you are — whether at an office party, a family member’s home, or out at the bar — it is essential you make the life-saving choice to drive sober when the party ends.
In 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that drunk driving crashes killed 10,874 people, equating to one person killed every 48 minutes and accounting for approximately one-third of all vehicle crash fatalities. In December 2017 alone, 885 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver.
To help spread the message about the dangers of drunk driving, NHTSA has put on a national high-visibility enforcement campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” during the month of December. When drivers are better informed about the dangers and consequences of impaired driving, they are more inclined to obey the law. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for impaired driving. Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased numbers of officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on U.S. roadways.
Drunk driving isn’t the only risk on the road; drug-impaired driving is also an increasing problem on U.S. roads. If drivers are impaired by any substance — alcohol or drugs — they should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Driving while impaired is illegal, period. The bottom line is this: If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. It’s that simple.
So you’ve got a holiday party coming up. What’s your plan for safety to make sure you can spend more holidays with friends and family?
Party with a plan
First and foremost, plan ahead. Be honest with yourself: You know whether you’ll attend a party. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. Is it your turn to be the designated driver? Take that role seriously; your friends are relying on you.
Other things you may want to remember are:
• It is never OK to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely.
• Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, which allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.
• Use your community’s sober ride program.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
• Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
It is important that the entire community brings the message across that impaired driving will not be tolerated but met with serious consequences. Whenever possible, be sure to brush up on the statistics, maximize your enforcement by showing the seriousness in your efforts and maintain zero tolerance to any impaired driving.
It is important to treat the much-needed holiday season as a chance for relaxation and growth in personal relationships. Please keep yourself and others alive on the road by remembering there are others who wish to celebrate with their families as well. Do not make this holiday season a tragic one.
For more information, visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov or call (800) 424-9153.
