Tag Archives: drive sober

General Safety Issues

DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s theme this year is a warning to all drivers to drive sober at all times, especially through the holiday season.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Association , MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), and the Governors Highway Safety Association are all supporting this campaign.  Local law enforcement agencies are also involved. 

Every day, no matter where you live, you see news reports of persons being involved in DWI crashes.  Regardless of the age of the driver, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland stated, “It is unacceptable and downright offensive that anyone would get behind the wheel drunk, let along have twice the limit of alcohol in their body.”  

Deaths resulting from crashes involving drunk drivers increased last year by 4.6 per cent, costing 10,322 lives – compared to 9.8658 in 2011.  The majority of drivers who were involved in those crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher.  This is almost double the legal limit.  Eight hundred and thirty persons were killed during last year’s holiday because of drunk driving crashes. 

It is a known fact that drunk driving is often a symptom of a larger problem: alcohol misuse and abuse. The more than 10,000 persons who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2012 account for one person every 51 seconds!  The cost of alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes totals an estimated $37 billion every year.  And those costs don’t account for the devastation caused to families whose loved ones are victims.

Before you take that holiday trip, think about defensive driving more than ever.  Your family could be the victims of a drunk driver.  Watch for swerving or any other suspicious driving antics that could endanger others.  Call 9-1-1 and report your suspicions to law enforcement. 

This crackdown campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” began December 13 and is enforced through the New Year’s holiday.  Over $7.5 million dollars have been spent for public advertising to raise awareness and support law enforcement activities in every state in an effort to reduce drunk driving deaths.  This message will be featured in a new public service announcement featuring MGM Pictures/Columbia Pictures’ RoboCop, in theaters February 12, 2014. 

This year, let’s lower those statistics by being more careful and watching out for the other guy.  If you plan to indulge in alcoholic beverages during parties, be sure you have a designated driver, or get someone to call a cab for you.  Do not attempt to drive your vehicle.  Don’t spoil someone else’s holiday.

Source: NHTSA

 

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

MADD’S ‘TIE ONE ON FOR SAFETY’ 2012

MADD’s “Tie One On For Safety” Holiday Campaign Cautions Drivers as More Highway Deaths Caused by Drunk Driving

Thanksgiving was the Deadliest Thursday of 2010; Puts Spotlight on “Blackout Wednesday” — 

Press Release: PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As we kick off the holidays with Thanksgiving, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is reminding adults to plan ahead for a safe way home if they’re planning to drink alcohol during the season’s festivities. Data show that the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day includes some of the most dangerous days for drunk driving deaths, and the numbers are getting worse in recent years — as annual drunk driving deaths have decreased, there has been an increase in the proportion of drunk driving deaths around the holidays. In addition, there’s a troubling trend of drunk driving fatalities in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Thursday, following what’s becoming known as “Blackout Wednesday,” a time when people who are home for the holiday are choosing to celebrate with excessive amounts of alcohol. 

The proportion of people killed in drunk driving crashes (.08 BAC and above) over the Thanksgiving holiday spiked by 30 percent in 2010 compared to the rest of the year. Additionally, the number of drunk driving deaths increased by 24 percent compared with the year prior. Below are further details about fatalities over the holiday in recent years:

Thanksgiving Holiday (includes “Blackout Wednesday” and the weekend following Thanksgiving)

  • 2010*: 174 people killed (40 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 140 people killed (34 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 180 people killed (35 percent of highway deaths)

“These numbers are very concerning to MADD because the number of people killed in drunk driving crashes over Thanksgiving is up, along with the percentage of highway deaths caused by drunk driving during the holiday period,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “Drunk driving is a complex problem, but the solution is simple: plan ahead for a sober designated driver if you’re going to drink alcohol.”

MADD’s Tie One On For Safety red ribbon campaign, now in its 26th year, is the organization’s signature public awareness project and is sponsored by National Presenting Sponsor Nationwide Insurance. Drivers across the country display MADD red ribbons on their vehicles as a pledge to drive safe and sober. The ribbons also signify support for law enforcement officers, who will be out in force as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

“During a time of year when some may choose to ‘tie one on’ in celebration of the holidays, MADD and Nationwide encourage drivers to Tie One On For Safety by displaying a red ribbon as a visible reminder to keep our roads safe,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide Insurance Associate Vice President of Consumer Safety. “It’s about setting an example for your friends and family, co-workers and neighbors — if you drink, don’t drive.”

It’s not just the Thanksgiving holiday that can be dangerous. On average in 2010, 31 percent of highway fatalities were caused by drunk driving. However, this number spikes dramatically over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays too:

Christmas Holiday (includes Christmas Eve and the surrounding holiday weekend)

  • 2010: 96 people killed (37 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 95 people killed (36 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 138 people killed (32 percent of highway deaths)

New Year’s Holiday (includes the holiday weekend surrounding New Year’s Eve)

  • 2010: 143 people killed (48 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2009: 185 people killed (40 percent of highway deaths)
  • 2008: 175 people killed (41 percent of highway deaths)

New Year’s Day, as well,  is especially dangerous, with 57 percent of all traffic fatalities involving a drunk driver in 2010. 

If you don’t have a MADD red ribbon, put any type of red ribbon on your car in order to show your support for this serious campaign.  Read the statistics and don’t become one.  Enjoy your holiday season safely.

Source: PR Newswire/US Newswire