December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

This December marks the 4^th anniversary of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, which promotes responsible decision making and encourages young people to live free of drugs and alcohol. December is the perfect month to promote increased awareness because traffic fatalities that involve impaired drivers increase significantly during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods. Impaired driving includes distracted driving, drunk driving, and driving under the influence of drugs.

Fast Facts:

30 million Americans drive drunk, and 10 million Americans drive impaired by illicit drugs every year.
As of 2010, 13.2% of all Americans aged 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol
As of 2010, 4.3% of all American aged 16 or older drove under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year.
On average, 25 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes per day during December 2010
Young adults are the most at risk for driving impaired

Drinking and Driving Episodes by Gender and Age, 2010

Some Likely Effects on Driving

As the holiday season is upon us, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), reminds us to celebrate safely! We stand with all those who have known the tragic consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and we rededicate ourselves to preventing it this December and throughout the year.

Some things to remember if you are going out to drink: