This St. Patrick’s Day
Don’t Depend on Dumb Luck—Designate a Sober Driver Before the Party Begins
Salisbury, MD- For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular night out to celebrate with friends and family. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of impaired drivers, the night out has also become very dangerous.
Last year on St. Patrick’s Day, nearly half (44%) of the 105 drivers and motorcyclists involved in the fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or above.
That’s why the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office announced their joint efforts with federal, state and local highway safety and law enforcement officials across the nation to remind all those who plan on celebrating during the St. Patrick’s Day festivities to drink responsibly.
“Whether you are meeting a few friends at the local pub after work or attending a party where you plan on using alcohol, never drive while impaired—and never let your friends drive if you think they are impaired.” “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.” said Sheriff Mike Lewis. He went on to say “There will be Sobriety Checkpoints scheduled for this weekend, and Tuesday. Don’t press your Luck, stay off the road if you have been drinking”
Drunk Driving Prevention
Following these easy steps, a driver can enjoy a safe St. Patrick’s Day without jeopardizing their life and the lives of the others who may be on the road.
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
Before drinking, please designate a sober driver and give that person your keys;
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
If you are a College Student use Safe Ride;
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
Impaired driving is one of America’s deadliest problems. In 2006, 42,642 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Out of that number 13,470 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
“Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is simply not worth the risk,” said Sheriff Lewis. “Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can be really significant.”
Don’t depend on dumb luck this St. Patrick’s Day. Designate your sober driver before the party begins.
For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
I wish the local police and state goverments would do something major about cell phone and texting while driving a motor vehicle. I know the last statistics I saw were fom AAA from the mid 1990s and that study reported that over 5,000 people a year were killed and over 100,000.00 were injured in accidents directly related to cell phone use. I can just imagine how bad these numbers have grown due to the major increase in cell phone use and even worse texting while driving. But I guess it all comes down to money, lawyers and the states make a fortune on drunk driving arrests and we all know the cell phone companies are busy greasing our politicans pockets so no anti cell phone use bill will be passed.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why we commemorate a saint by getting drunk and acting stupid. Hardly saintly behavior, wouldn't you say?
ReplyDeleteOh, and yes, I am not a saint. I do occasionally get into the beer (yummy!), but it is occasionally and usually at home where I can't hurt anyone but myself. If it's at a restautaurant, it's one or two and that's it.
I think they call it "maturity."
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Do yourself a favor and stay home St. Patty's Day...your boss/classmates might like you more anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt's not illegal to text and use cell phones while driving. So the the police can do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that has been out of work for some time now, he showed up yesterday at 3:30pm already wasted. He was here about 30 minutes before he passed out on the sofa. It was my wifes night off and I know she didnt feel like dealing with this, she just wanted to relax. I started cooking him a grilled boneless chicken breast with greens and potatoes but he didnt make it til it was done. I thought I could sober him up that way. My wife got home and said lets get him in bed in the spare bedroom. So we did, she said its better that hes here than out on the road going to kill himself or worse someone else. He woke up about 45 minutes latter and stumbled out to the kitchen saying he was ready to go. He didnt even know where the hell he was. Good thing when he was passed out I took the coil wire off his truck. He sat out there trying to get it started for awhile and finally he came back in and passed out for hours. It is a pain in the butt like babysitting but at least no one was killed on the roads. What are you going to do, its life.
ReplyDelete