The month of December is known for holiday festivities. Families, friends, and even workplace parties fill up many of our weekends. With that in mind, the President has once again declared December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The annual designation began in 1981.

Despite the great strides that have been made in educating the public about drunk or drugged driving, the statistics reveal that it is still an epidemic. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three out of every 10 people in this country will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their lives. Tragically, approximately 11,000 of those people will be killed in those accidents.

The number of alcohol-rated fatal crashes almost doubles on weekends, compared to during the week. During the week, approximately 15 percent of all fatal car wrecks involve alcohol; however, on the weekends, that number spikes to 30 percent.

During this time of the year, December 22, December 23, December 24, and January 1 are the deadliest days for alcohol-related fatalities. During the summer months, July 3, July 4, August 3, August 4, September 1, and September 2 are the deadliest days.

The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes and who are found to be under the influence of drugs has also increased. These numbers include drivers under the influence of both illegal and prescription narcotics. Almost 20 percent of fatal crashes on weekend nights involved a drugged driver. The most common drugs were marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

The NHTSA offers crucial tips for people to follow if they have been celebrating the holidays, including:

• If you have been drinking, or under the influence of any legal or illegal drug, never get behind the wheel of your vehicle;
• If you are under the influence, take a taxi or Uber, call a family member or friend (who has not been drinking) to pick you up, or—if available—use mass transit; or
• If you cannot get a ride, then stay where you are for the night. Sleep until you are sober.

For people who are hosting holiday events, make sure that your guests have a plan if they are going to be drinking, such as a designated driver. If someone has been drinking, do not let him or her leave your home. Take their keys away if you have to.

If you have lost a loved one in a drunk driving accident, please contact an experienced Westport wrongful death attorney to see what kind of legal recourse you may have against the driver responsible for your family’s pain and loss.

Sources:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/01/presidential-proclamation-national-impaired-driving-prevention-month

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2043&issue_id=32010

More than one-third of all vehicle fatalities that occur in the United States are alcohol-related. Over 10,000 people die every year in an accident where at least one driver had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or more. Yet, despite all the education, touting the dangers of drinking and driving, a new study reveals that millions of Americans are still not getting the message.

According to new statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than four million people admit to driving drunk at least once in the previous month. This works out to more than 120 million instances in a year’s time.

The study, which was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), also found that the area of the country with the highest number of people who admitted to getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking where in the Midwest.

When it comes to gender, men were responsible for 80 percent of the four million episodes of drinking and driving. Additionally, young men who are between the ages of 21 and 34 years of age were responsible for more than 30 percent of all the instances cited.

Binge drinking appears to be a particular issue with driving while drinking. More than 85 percent of those who participated admitted to binge drinking. Those binge drinkers accounted for 60 percent of those drunken driving instances. The binge drinkers also reported multiple instances of alcohol-impaired driving within the past 30 days.

Although the results of the study may seem shocking, given the negative associations society now has towards drunk driving compared to decades ago, the study’s authors did cite current strategies which do work when it comes to combatting drunk driving. Those cited included the nationwide recognition of 0.08 BAC driving statutes, law enforcement sobriety checkpoints which are announced to the public ahead of time, and the use of alcohol ignition interlocks for those convicted of drunk driving. The study also cited alcohol tax increases as another successful determent to drunk driving.

If you have been injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney today to find out what legal recourse you may have against the other driver for your pain and loss.

Sources:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/08/06/over-4-million-americans-say-theyve-driven-drunk-in-prior-month-cdc

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm