December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month

We recently came across an article in the Nov/Dec issue of AAA's Southern Traveler magazine that we thought had some very important information on safe driving. You can read about AAA's Guide to Teen Driver Safety and download a parent - teen driving agreement here: http://teendriving.aaa.com/LA . Also, since December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month, we thought we would share part of the article below:

"Dangers of drunk driving rise at night, during the holidays

There’s a good reason why December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

With Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties taking place across the nation, it’s not surprising that approximately 40 percent of holiday traffic fatalities are related to alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). New research also shows that fatal crashes occur more frequently between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. year-round, which is when most people are leaving parties and bars.

In fact, during those three early morning hours, a drunk driving crash claims a life every 23 minutes. Two-thirds of fatal crashes during these pre-dawn hours involve drunk drivers, NHTSA reports. Such sobering statistics, however, have not had as much effect as they should on reducing drunk driving.

“While we have made great strides in reducing drunk driving over the years, tragically, drunk driving remains one of the leading causes of death and injury on America’s roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Every alcohol-related fatality is preventable. AAA encourages people who are planning to host or attend holiday parties to arrange for designated drivers and to never let friends drive drunk."

[ AAA Southern Traveler. (2011, November/December). Dangers of Drunk Driving Rise at Night During the Holidays [Magazine Article]. Retrieved from http://www.autoclubmo.aaa.com/traveler/mid/2011/11/drivers.html?zip=7013... ]