The worst part of the holiday is season for me is the parties. My husband and I don't drink, and I hate to see others drink and get behind the wheel of a vehicle. I worry they will kill themselves or worse yet, an innocent victim.
I've heard people say, "I'm just getting a buzz, I'm not drunk." But it's always a drunk that utters those words.
Someone doesn't have to drink a lot to be drunk. Getting a buzz is being drunk. And for sure, it doesn't take much alcohol to become incapacitated and kill someone.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Ad Council are asking everyone to drive smart this holiday season and to pledge not to drive buzzed.
In 2008, nearly 12,000 people in the U.S. were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes - and during the periods around Christmas and New Year's, this number was particularly high, with 316 people killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. In 2007, 162,493 women were arrested for a DUI, an increase of almost 29% since 1998. You can't help but wonder if lives could have been saved if people thought twice before getting behind the wheel.
We all need to do our part. Get involved this holiday season. Learn about the problem and help spread the message.
- Become a fan of the Buzzed Driving campaign on Facebook.
- Follow @buzzeddriving, and join the party on Tuesday, December 15, from 2pm - 3pm EST. Join our discussion, share your own stories or ask questions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration experts. To participate, follow @BuzzedDriving and include the hashtag #BuzzedDriving in your tweets.
- Take the pledge not drive buzzed, I did.
- Buzzed Driving Web site - play an interactive buzzed driving game which demos the difference between buzzed and drunk, and listen to stories
Have a safe and happy holiday, but remember buzzed driving is drunk driving. The life you save may be yours or someone you love.
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