The holidays are a time for friends and family get togethers and celebrations. Nothing could ruin a holiday season more than injury or death because of drinking and driving.
To spread the message about the dangers of drunk driving, the Wyandot County Safe Communities Coalition and Local Law Enforcement Agencies want to encourage the community to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over this holiday season. The message is simple. Just don’t do it.
Sadly, many still don’t grasp the dangers of drunk and impaired driving. Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] at or above .08 grams per deciliter. In 2019, there were 10,142 people killed in drunk-driving crashes. Although it is illegal to drive when impaired by alcohol, in 2019, one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunk-driving crash on our nation’s roads. Nighttime is a particularly dangerous time to be on the roads. The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2019 was 3.3 times higher at night than during the day.
In December 2020 in Ohio there were 23 fatal alcohol-related crashes and 17 fatal drug-related crashes. During the Christmas period (6 p.m. Dec. 24, 2020, to 5:59 a.m. Dec. 26, 2020) there were 36 alcohol-related crashes and eight drug-related crashes. During the 2020 New Year’s Day period (6 p.m. Dec. 31, 2020, to 5:59 p.m. Jan 2, 2021) there were 24 alcohol-related crashes and three drug-related crashes.
So far in 2021, as of Dec. 13, there have been 9,802 alcohol-related crashes in Ohio, of which 319 were fatal. Additionally, there have been 3,758 drug-related crashes, of which 315 were fatal.
“People that are impaired who don’t feel that they’re impaired don’t realize that it affects their judgement for slowing down or stopping time, maintaining safe distance from other vehicles, appropriately navigating intersections and avoiding collisions,” Wyandot County Sheriff Todd Frey explained. “Response time is going to be longer when impaired. Impaired drivers also are more likely to overreact or overcorrect when responding to situations on the roadways.”
Drivers who are impaired may also drive faster or slower than posted speeds and may be more likely to drift in and out of lanes of travel increasing the risk to themselves, their passengers, and other vehicles on the roadways.
Those who observe signs of impairment in drivers on the roadways are asked to help the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement by calling 911 or the non-emergency number for the Sheriff’s office at 419-294-2362 to report impaired drivers.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of traffic during the holidays – a lot of people going to family get togethers and parties,” Frey said. “Driving while impaired increases our chances of being involved in a crash, which could result in injury and even fatality. We want everybody to have a safe and happy holiday. The last thing we want to see is anybody getting injured.
“If you’re going to go to a party and you’re going to drink, please have a designated driver or have someone come pick you up.”
Don’t become a statistic this holiday season. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. For more information regarding traffic safety, follow Wyandot County Public Health on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or visit wyandothealth.com.
