You Drink You Drive You Could Die
As we ring in the New Year, there is no better time to speak of drunk driving. It only takes one person to save a life and that could be you. In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in alcohol impaired traffic crashes, 15,829 alcohol related fatalities were recorded in the US in 2006, which equals two deaths every hour. There are almost 275,000 people injured or seriously disfigured every year due to alcohol related accidents and one third of all alcohol related injuries are sustained by children. When you are confronted with these staggering numbers there is no doubt we can do more to reduce the amount of drunk and impaired driving in the US. Unfortunately, over the past decade there has been an upward spike in drunk driving accidents and deaths. Fortunately, there was a decline in deaths due to alcohol related accidents from 2006 to 2007, which is a move in a positive direction. There are many clichés that are out there about drunk driving, here are a few of my favorites:
Help save a life today !
Don’t let your friends drive drunk !
Be a designated driver !
Don’t take NO for an answer !
Even if you are not driving drunk, you still are at risk of injury or death from another driver. Be sure to buckle your seatbelt prior to starting on your way. Also, make every passenger in your car buckle up. Use extra caution over the New Years holiday while driving. Slow as you approach intersections, even if you have a green light. Look twice both ways prior to entering a roadway, adding a slight pause can give you that extra second to respond.
If you observe a vehicle operating erratically, swaying from side to side or slowing and speeding up for no apparent reason, try to avoid this vehicle. These are classic signs of an impaired driver. If the vehicle is ahead of you, turn off or pull over if safe to do so, and wait a minute for the vehicle to travel beyond you. Always report these activities to 911. Try to report the vehicles description, make, model, color, direction of travel and registration number if possible. Always remain vigilant and remember to continually check you rear view mirror and your two side mirrors. One extra second can make a big difference in instances when an erratic driver appears from nowhere.
Have a safe and happy New Year!!