PHS encourages our customers and employees to stay safe during the upcoming Labor Day Holiday. Please read the following information from the Traffic Safety Marketing Group that details the sad statistics behind driving while drunk. Never drive while impaired: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over!
2019 DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN
The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 14 through September 2, 2019. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.
Sadly, the statistics prove that there is a lot of work to do to put an end to drunk driving. According to NHTSA, 10,874 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2017. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2013 to 2017 — one person was killed in drunk-driving crashes every 48 minutes in 2017. That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors. Drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death. As you head out to the Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
During the 2017 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. September 1 – 5:59 a.m. September 5), there were 376 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-four percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (36%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and more than one-fourth (26%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2017, 42% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.
Labor Day should be a time for friends and family to come together to enjoy the last days of summer. We need commitment from our community members that they’ll keep the streets free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. The NHTSA is reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely.
Recommendations and safe alternatives to drinking and driving:
- Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride sharing service to get home safely.
- Use your community’s sober ride program.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement agency.
- Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.