The Fourth of July is a favorite American holiday filled with fun, food, fireworks, friends and family. But celebrating can quickly turn to tragedy when people choose to drive after drinking. The Richland County Safe Communities Coalition is urging everyone to plan ahead this Independence Day. Designate a sober driver ahead of time.
If you can’t take that friendly reminder to heart, know that all Richland County law enforcement will be out in force throughout the holiday week (July 3 – July 7) on the lookout for motorists who have had too much alcohol to be behind the wheel of a vehicle. This is part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement. Police will have zero tolerance for alcohol scofflaws who drink and drive this July 4, putting themselves and everyone else on Richland County roads at risk of life and limb.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) paint a grim picture of the effect drunk driving has on America. NHTSA reports that there were 10,322 fatalities involving drunk driving in 2012, accounting for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic deaths for that year. That equals about one alcohol-impaired-driving death every 51 minutes.
Drunk driving fatalities are high year-round, but they typically spike during holidays like the Fourth of July. During the Independence Day holiday in 2012 (which ran from 6 p.m. July 3 to 5:59 p.m. July 5), 179 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and of these, 78 (44 percent) died in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Unfortunately 2012 wasn’t a fluke; from 2008-2012, among all crash fatalities around the Fourth of July, 40 percent—on average—involved drunk drivers.
The level of drunk-driving fatalities is not unique to 2011. According to additional data from NHTSA, during July Fourth holidays over the last five years (from 2007 to 2011), 780 people lost their lives in crashes involving drivers who had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher. These fatalities accounted for 40 percent of all highway deaths over the five-year period.
Certain drivers are more likely than others to drive drunk. Younger drivers (ages 18 to 34) are consistently overrepresented in fatal alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. In 2012, almost half (46 percent) of the young drivers killed in crashes had a BAC of .08 or higher.
Compared to car and truck drivers, motorcycle operators are also overrepresented in the disturbing statistics from NHTSA: in 2012 fatal crashes, 27 percent of motorcycle operators were impaired.
Nighttime (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) driving is particularly dangerous because of drunk drivers—and the July Fourth holiday is no exception. During the July Fourth holiday period in 2012, the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was almost 2.5 times higher at night than during the day.
“Here’s what we want people to understand,” said Reed Richmond, Health Educator at Richland Public Health and a Safe Communities Coalition spokesperson. “Alcohol not only impairs your ability to drive, it impairs your judgment about whether you can or should drive. Sure, you may think you’re ‘fine’, but you’re not. The best thing to keep in mind is simply: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. Prevent drunk driving by only driving completely sober.”
Richmond said that impaired drivers not only take the risk of hurting or killing themselves or someone else, the trauma and financial costs of an alcohol-impaired crash or an arrest can be significant. Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates and dozens of other unanticipated expenses.
The Richland County Safe Communities Coalition encourages a few simple precautions to keep themselves and loved ones safe:
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin; before drinking, designate a sober driver.
If you’re impaired, don’t get behind the wheel. Call a taxi, use public transportation or call a sober friend or family member so you are sure to get home safely.
If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact any local law enforcement agency or call 1-800-GRABDUI
Remember, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. If you know people who are about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
More information on avoiding impaired driving can be found at www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.
