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Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over - don’t end your summer with a bust
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09/03/2015 Licking County, Ohio – As summer winds down, the Licking County Health Department is partnering with local Law Enforcement to bring awareness about the national crackdown on drunk driving. The 20-day, high-visibility campaign Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to curb impaired driving and save lives. From Aug. 21 – Sept. 7, Labor Day, law enforcement partners nationwide show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of driving drunk, coupled with checkpoints and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce the toll of drunk driving.
In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed in drunk–driving crashes, almost a third of all traffic fatalities. Thirty-eight percent of crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend that year involved drunk drivers (with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 or higher), amounting to 161 lives lost. More than a quarter of the crash fatalities that occurred on Labor Day weekend involved drivers with BACs of .15 or higher – almost twice the illegal limit.
“Too many people think their actions don’t affect anybody else,” said Lt. Kevin Miller, Ohio State Highway Patrol Granville Post Commander. “They know it’s illegal and they know it’s wrong, but they do it anyway. They make decisions as if those statistics just can’t happen to them.”
The reality is, people are not invincible, said Miller. Of the 10,076 people who were killed in impaired-driving crashes in 2013, 65 percent were the drunk drivers themselves. Those 6,515 drunk drivers planned on making it to their destinations, but they didn’t.
NHTSA data shows that repeat offenders are an especially dangerous facet of the drunk-driving problem. In the month of August from 2009-2013, of the drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes, almost one out of 10 (8 percent) of them had already been convicted of at least one drunk-driving offense.
“All it takes is a little planning ahead,” said Miller. “Designate a sober driver or call a cab. But whatever you do, don’t drink and drive.”
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NHTSA has made it even easier to get home safely when you’ve been drinking. The new SaferRide mobile app (free from the iTunes store and Google Play), can help users call a taxi or a friend for a ride home. The app can even help you identify your location so you can be picked up. So this Labor Day and year-round, remember that there is no excuse for drunk driving.
The Licking County Health Department’s Safe Communities Coalition is also participating with law enforcement in their efforts towards preventing drunk driving. “Any life lost as a result of someone drinking and driving is a preventable death,” said Carrie Minor, Safe Communities Coordinator Licking County Health Department. “While at the Hartford Fair we met several people who had been affected in some way by drunk driving. It is disheartening to see tragedy that is so preventable, yet so common.”
During the campaign, the coalition will be distributing Drive Sober materials to local liquor licensed establishments around Licking County. The coalition created beverage cooler decals for this year’s campaign that will be placed on cooler doors where alcohol is sold or where visible to patrons. The decals will serve as a friendly reminder to patrons to include a designated driver on their list if they are including alcohol.
Everyone can do their part by following a few simple tips:
- Never drink and drive;
- Don’t let friends or family drive drunk. Take their keys and help them find a safe and sober ride home;
- Offer to be a designated driver;
- Call law enforcement (#677) if you see a drunk driver on the road.
Visit NHTSA for more information on drunk driving prevention and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign.
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“The Licking County Health Department serves more than 160,000 citizens in the Licking County General Health District by preventing disease, protecting the environment and promoting healthy lifestyles with a vision of healthy people living in healthy communities.”
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