The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, with the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration remind you to celebrate safely this holiday season.
President Obama has designated December 2012 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and invites families, educators, health care providers, and community leaders to promote responsible decision-making and encourage young people to live free of drugs and alcohol.
Impaired driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving and can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash. Impaired driving includes: distracted driving, drugged driving, and drunk driving.
There are three main types of distraction:
· Visual: taking your eyes off the road.
· Manual: taking your hands off the wheel.
· Cognitive: taking your mind off driving.
Distracted driving activities include anything that takes your attention away from driving, including sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system and eating while driving. Any of these can endanger the driver and others.
Why do we recognize National Impaired Driving Prevention Month?
December seems particularly suited to this observation because traffic fatalities that involve impaired drivers increase significantly during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods.
In an average year, 30 million Americans drive drunk and 10 million Americans drive impaired by illicit drugs;
About one in three traffic deaths in the United States involve a drunk driver;
Each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
All 50 States and the District of Columbia enforce the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years. NHTSA asks minors to avoid alcohol and encourages parents and other caregivers to make a new or renewed commitment to never cater a party to underage drinking.
If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone's life, and inaction could cost a life.
Families play an essential part in stopping impaired driving. By talking about the risks and setting clear expectations, parents and other caregivers can help their children stay safe, sober, and focused on the road.
For more information:
Read the President’s 2012 proclamation here: http://bit.ly/2AYEq7K
NHSTA’s Stop Impaired Driving website provides information to help you stop impaired driving in your community: http://bit.ly/2EicQ9r
About Impaired driving, visit: http://bit.ly/2QfljRb
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