It is a sobering fact; an estimated 32 percent of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian. This means nearly 13,000 people are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents and hundreds of thousands more are injured. The majority of drinking and driving deaths are due to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC), of at least .10.
Alcohol-related crashes cost American taxpayers more than $100 billion as each year approximately1.4 million arrests for DWI are made and 780,000 are convicted of driving while under the influence. Astonishingly, two-thirds of those sentenced to incarceration are repeat offenders.
Drinking alcohol and driving simply do not go together. Alcohol affects attentiveness and one’s ability to make quick decisions, react to changes in the environment and execute specific, often difficult maneuvers behind the wheel. The growing number of alcohol-related crashes are not limited to automobiles and can occur on water and snow while motor boating, jet-skiing and/or snowmobiling. When drinking alcohol, driving becomes dangerous and is potentially lethal!
As we ring in the New Year, let’s make a resolution to help reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes.