National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

December has been National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and as the month comes to a close, let us look at why this awareness is necessary.

Late November and all of December is what we Americans call the “holiday season.”  Spending time with family and friends during this time is something to be cherished.  All too often families are left with the emptiness of missing a loved one due to an automobile crash caused by drunk driving or even distracted driving.

Drivers that are impaired are responsible for nearly one-third of all deaths from auto accidents in the US.  That's almost 30 lives lost a day!

All across the US in December, law enforcement has been participating in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign from December 13 to January 1.  This has increased the number of law enforcement as a reminder of the possible consequences of driving while impaired.

Here are some suggestions to stay safe this holiday season: Designate a NON-DRINKING driver (NOT the one that's had the least amount to drink), plan ahead for alternate transportation.  Fatal crashes involving alcohol is 4 times higher at night than in the daytime.

Lastly, be careful about driving under the influence of prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter drugs! DUI drugs has been overlooked for years but has been the cause of over twenty percent of car crashes.  This means 6,761 deaths, 440,000 injuries, and $59.9 billion in costs per year. A recent study of drivers that were seriously injured drivers at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center showed that 61% of them tested positive for illegal drugs, compared to 34% that tested positive for alcohol in 2009.  In 2009, ten and a half million people operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs.   During this holiday season it's best to be safe than sorry but if you have been arrested for a Georgia DUI, contact the Law Offices of Richard S Lawson today.