The Sobering Facts About Drunk and Drugged Driving
Join others in the fight against undreage drinking and drunk driving
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a non-profit. grassroots Organization with more than 600 chapters nationwide. Its mission is "to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. "Call 1-800-GET-MADD or go to www.madd.org to learn more
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is the nation's leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization. Originally titled Students Against Driving Drunk, the organization changed it's name in 1997 and expanded its mission "to provide students with the best prevention and intervention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions. "Call 1-877-SADD-INC or go to www.sadd.org to learn more.
December 2004 — It’s no coincidence that December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. People drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs throughout the year, but the number of crashes spikes during this month. That’s because the holidays are often spent with family and friends, and even people who don’t normally drink, might do so to celebrate or to ring in the New Year. Add to that an increased number of cars on the highways and you have a recipe for disaster.
Startling Statistics
When it comes to year-round numbers, Florida is among the deadliest states for drunk-driving crashes. In 2003, alcohol-related accidents claimed 1,274 lives — the third-highest number in the nation.
No one knows exactly how many additional accidents are caused by people under the influence of drugs, since Florida and most other states do not have a legal standard — or an effective roadside testing device — for determining what level of drugs in a person’s system makes him or her too impaired to drive. Still, more than 1.5 million drunk drivers were arrested last year in the U.S., and public health specialists and police departments estimate that at least as many people were driving under the influence of drugs.
100 Percent Preventable
The tragedy is that the substance-related crashes and deaths don’t have to happen. Drunk and drugged individuals shouldn’t get behind the wheel, and passengers shouldn’t trust their lives to impaired drivers.
Part of the problem is that many people don’t realize that just one drink affects vision, reflexes, timing and judgment. And you don’t have to reach the legal limit of intoxication to be impaired. Research has shown that a blood alcohol concentration as low as .02 percent (the legal limit in Florida and many other states is .08 percent) can affect driving ability and crash likelihood. What’s more, many legal, doctor-prescribed drugs can cause impairment, particularly when combined with alcohol. Be sure to read the labels of all medications before operating a motor vehicle and ask your doctor or pharmacist if it is safe to drink alcohol while taking your medications.
As new legislation and roadside tests are being developed to address the problem of drugged driving, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid an alcohol-related arrest or injury. If you want to include alcohol in your holiday celebrations, don’t drive. If you’re in a group, recruit a “designated driver” before the party starts. If you didn’t plan ahead, call a friend or family member, or take a taxi home. If you’re at a friend’s house, spend the night there.
Memorial Healthcare System’s Community Relations Department sponsors programs that address drunk driving. For more information, please call (954) 985-3435.