Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

August 18, 2011

Driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher is illegal in every state, yet we continue to see a tragic number of people with serious injuries and deaths as a result of impaired driving. In 2009, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 32% of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States. That means an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality happened every 48 minutes. This is one statistic that can easily be reversed.

The Licking County Safe Communities coalition will be partnering with Captain Woody’s Pub & Grub on Buckeye Lake to thank those who choose to be a designated driver on Friday, August 19th from 5-7pm. Safe Communities coalition members will be passing out incentives to designated drivers and educational materials to patrons at Captain Woody’s that evening. “The purpose of our event is to thank those who chose to be a designated driver because too often these individuals go unnoticed for their efforts,” said Kate White, Licking County Safe Communities Coordinator. “We also plan to educate all drivers on the dangers of impaired driving while promoting responsible drinking.”

We wouldn’t be addressing impaired driving if it wasn’t an issue. Locally, there have been 51 fatal crashes in Licking County since January 2009. It has been confirmed that nineteen of the 51 fatalities or 37% have involved alcohol. Of the nineteen fatalities involving alcohol, seventeen fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 or higher. Today, we are trying spread the message through high-profile enforcement campaigns such as Over the Limit, Under Arrest and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over to continue to help reduce the number of alcohol-impaired-driving crashes nationwide.

The Licking County Safe Communities Coalition is committed to ending this tragedy. Our local law enforcement agencies will join with others across the country during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend for an intensive crackdown on alcohol-impaired-driving. It is important to remember this can be prevented if everyone would take these few simple precautions:

• If you are planning to drink alcohol with friends, designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys;

• If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely;

• Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement by calling 1-800-GRAB-DUI;

• Wear your seat belt while in a car or use a helmet and protective gear when on a motorcycle as these are your best defenses against an impaired driver;

• 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.

Contact Info: visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org or call Kate White, LCHD Health Educator, at (740) 349-6535.

Back to News Home Page>>