KNOEBEL & VICE, PLLC BLOG

The holiday season is right around the corner. As we prepare for festivities with family and friends, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), wants to remind all drivers that it’s dangerous to drive after drinking.

You have to choose your role before drinking begins: will you drink or will you drive? Remember, even if you only have a little bit to drink and think you’re "okay to drive," you could still be over the legal limit, because Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

According to the NHTSA, in the month of December 2015, 840 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver.

Impaired driving creates tragedies all year round. 35,092 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015, and 10,265, or 29 percent, of those fatalities occurred in drunk-driving-related crashes.

Plan a Safe Ride Home Ahead of Time—This Holiday Season and All Year Round.
o Too many people wait until after they’ve started drinking to figure out how they will get home, but by then, it’s too late to make a clear-headed decision.

o A sober driver is an essential part of any plan that includes drinking. While you are making plans to attend holiday parties and celebrations, also make a plan for how to get home safely.

o Many factors determine the effect alcohol has on your body, and it can vary depending on factors such as your weight and when you last ate.

o Give yourself and your loved ones the gift of a designated driver to help stay safe this holiday season. Before you start drinking, designate your sober driver or plan a safe ride home. If you will not be drinking, offer to be a sober driver for others who will be.

o If you have been drinking and need a sober ride home, there are many options. Call an Uber or a sober friend, use public transportation or try NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app

o Help those around you be responsible, too. If someone you know is drinking, do not let them get behind the wheel.

o If you see someone who appears to be driving drunk, call the police. Your actions could help save a life.

Drinking and Driving Will Cost You—Possibly Your Life.
o Even if you have had just a little to drink, you risk causing a crash or getting arrested for a DUI.

o If you are convicted of a DUI, you could face jail time, the loss of your driver’s license, higher insurance rates, and other expenses including attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work. There’s also the embarrassment, humiliation, and consequence of telling family, friends, and employers of your arrest.

o The average DUI costs the offender about $10,000. The costs for public transportation, a taxi, or a shared ride home are cheap compared to the cost of an arrest.

Keep your holidays happy and safe by letting someone sober do the driving. Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.