Starting with Thanksgiving, we have now kicked off into holiday season. So, it is no wonder that December tends to see the highest rate of under the influence driving incidents. Since 1981, every president has proclaimed the month of December as the National Impaired Driving Prevention Month (previously known as National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month).
According to the Presidential Proclamation published on December 4th, “During National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to preventing tragedies from impaired driving by making the responsible decision to drive sober. We also remember the victims of impaired driving, pray for the grieving families of those whose lives have been taken, and honor the law enforcement professionals who work to keep our roads safe.”
In line with the annual proclamation, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has announced that law enforcement officers across the country will be on the look out for impaired drivers throughout the holiday season. They have extended their media campaign through January 1, 2020 to educate the public regarding the risks of marijuana-impaired driving and raising awareness of their “If you Feel Different, You Drive Different” campaign.
According to the NHTSA website, “Some good news: alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities decreased by 3.6% from 2017 to 2018, accounting for 29% of all crash fatalities in 2018 – the lowest percentage since 1982, when NHTSA started reporting alcohol data. Although drunk-driving-related deaths have fallen, they still total more than 10,000 lives per year.” It may still seem like a long way to go, but public awareness and education seem to be helping.
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