Many
Americans have known someone killed in a vehicle crash. Family members,
friends, friends of friends—with more than 30,000 people killed each year, it’s
likely you and your family may have been touched by these tragic numbers.
More
tragically is that one-third of those killed each year are involved in
drunk-driving-related crashes. These crashes are 100% preventable. It’s simple:
Do not drink and drive. Technology has brought us so far in how we are able to
access transportation, and it is easy to designate a sober friend to get us
home safe and sound after a night out.
This holiday
season, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition are teaming up
with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) to remind all drivers about the dangers of drinking and
driving. With the holiday festivities and extra office parties taking place,
it’s essential to plan a sober ride home before ever leaving for the good time.
This holiday, as you head out for a night of merrymaking, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you
plan to be someone else’s designated driver, stick to that commitment. Your
friends are relying on you, and you could save a life.
According to
NHTSA, 37,461 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2016, and
28% (10,497) of those fatalities occurred in a crash during which a driver had
a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of .08. The holidays
prove to be extra dangerous to drivers: From 2012 to 2016, 3,995 of all people
who lost their lives in a traffic crash during the month of December died in
crashes that involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher.
The holidays
should be a time for celebrations and making memories, not a time of nightmares
for families. Unfortunately, alcohol at many holiday events contributes to the
number of impaired drivers on our roadways. Help us spread the message: Even
one drink is one drink too many. If you feel buzzed, you are already drunk. Too many people take to the roadways after
consuming alcohol because they think they are “okay to drive.” They may think
they’ve had enough to eat, enough water to drink, or that their weight may
factor into the equation. But these are inaccurate ways of measuring whether you
are safe to drive. If you feel buzzed, you are already drunk. We want to keep
our roads safe this holiday season and help people understand that the only
time they should be behind the wheel is when they are sober. Alcohol affects
people differently, and you do not have to be feeling or acting drunk to be too
impaired to drive. This holiday season, the Sheriff’s Office, SAFE Coalition, and NHTSA urge you to designate a
sober driver before you start drinking. If you plan on drinking at all, plan on
not driving.
Remember these tips for a safe night on the roads:
·
Plan ahead.
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.
·
Remember
that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve only had one alcoholic
beverage, designate a sober driver to get home safely.
·
Download
NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, available on Google
Play for Android devices and Apple’s
iTunes Store for iOS devices. SaferRide allows users to call a predetermined
friend, and identifies the user’s location so they can be picked up.
·
If you see a
drunk driver on the road, contact the
Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
·
See someone
who is about to drive after drinking? Take the keys away and make arrangements
to get them home safely. Don’t worry about offending someone—they’ll thank you
later.
No comments:
Post a Comment