LA: Drive Sober campaign will save lives this holiday season
December 12, 2020
With a pandemic-altered holiday season, putting the merry in Christmas this year might be a little harder than usual, but don’t turn to alcohol to cope.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there is an increase in DUIs and fatal drunk-driving crashes each year around the holidays. In December 2018, 839 people were killed nationwide in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver.
In Louisiana, there were 28 alcohol-related fatal crashes and 231 alcohol-related injury crashes in December 2019.
To call attention to the problem, NHTSA will conduct its holiday Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over drunk driving prevention campaign from Dec. 18 through Jan. 1.
While many drinkers rely on the “one-drink-per-hour” rule to keep their blood alcohol level under the .08 threshold for DUI arrest, the practice is unreliable at best. Such factors as age, gender, weight, drink strength, metabolism, food consumed and body type influence the rate of intoxication, so no two people react the same to the identical amount of alcohol.
If you plan to drink, the safest way to prevent a DUI arrest or crash is to designate a driver. Think about it: You wouldn’t leave your children at home without planning for a babysitter in advance. Why plan to drink without designating a driver before you take your first sip?
If you do decide to host a holiday party, hosts and hostesses have a responsibility for their guests’ safety. Remember, friends don’t let friends drive drunk.
Enjoy the season – responsibly.
Holiday safety tips
Even individuals who don’t normally drink alcohol are likely to imbibe during the holidays. These tips, from the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Transportation, will keep you and your party guests safe:
- Plan ahead. You know whether you’ll attend a party. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home or to call a ride service. 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 or plan to use public transportation to get home safely.
- Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, https://one.nhtsa.gov/link/saferride/. SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact law enforcement.
- Be a helpful host: If you’re hosting a party this holiday season, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver; offer alcohol-free beverages; and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.
- Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get them home safely. Don’t worry about offending someone—they’ll thank you later.