There’s certainly nothing wrong with celebrating the Fourth of July with a cold beer or an alcoholic beverage. However, if you are driving, it’s important to take steps before you go out to ensure a safe and sober ride home.
Drunk driving is 100 percent preventable, but still four out of 10 people who died in crashes over the July 4th holiday weekend were drunk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Indeed, roughly 38 percent of the 1,460 people who died in crashes over the Fourth of July weekend were drunk drivers, according to NHTSA statistics compiled from 2017 to 2021.
Last year, the California Highway Patrol arrested 998 people for driving under the influence during the holiday weekend. Additionally, there were 44 crash deaths statewide during the 78-hour maximum enforcement period beginning at 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. on Monday in 2022.
Everyone celebrates America’s Independence in their own way, but all of us traveling this weekend need to line up a sober drive home, stay over at a friend’s house or book a hotel room to avoid driving. Certainly these are better options than a jail cell, $10,000 in fines, losing your license, an injury or death.
Keep in mind that there are more people are driving on roads, highways and freeways over Independence Day weekend. This fact adds to the risk of more collisions, injuries and fatalities.
NHTSA’s national Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving awareness campaign aims to educate motorists. Just a small amount of alcohol can impair a person’s ability to drive safely. Just a .02 blood-alcohol content can affect a person’s ability to perform two tasks at the same time, the NHTSA reports. Driving safely requires the motorist to perform multiple tasks such as scanning the roadway for hazards, other motorists and road conditions.
SAFE DRIVING TIPS
- Organize a safe ride home ahead of going out
- If you plan to drink, make a plan ahead of time for a sober ride home.
- One drink is buzzed driving. Let a sober person drive home — not the person who drank the least.
- Party hosts can help organize designated drivers
- Party hosts should offer non-alcoholic beverages
- Take the keys away from drunk drivers and get them a ride home
- See a drunk driver? Pull over safely and call 911
- Always wear your seat belt
- All the above applies to drugged driving (legal or illegal)
- Before you drive impaired, remember your family is not the only family waiting for their loved one to come home.
Please share this information with anyone you think needs to hear it and have a safe and happy Fourth of July. — Johnson Attorneys Group — 1-800-235-6801.
