It's almost Labor Day weekend and with that comes end of summer parties along with the NHTSA's annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Labor Day campaign. It's an effort to educate drivers about the dangers of impaired driving. Law enforcement officers will also be working with their communities to stop impaired driving. Already underway, the campaign runs through September 4th.
The campaign is supported by a $13.8 paid media campaign to get the message out on television, radio, digital, social media and billboards. Public service messages will include: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over; If You Feel Different, You Drive Different; Drive High, Get a DUI; and Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says data shows that impaired driving is on the rise. Fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes were up 14.2% from 2020 to 2021, as compared to a 10.1% increase in overall traffic fatalities from 2020 to 2021. And two-thirds of drunk driving crash fatalities in 2021 involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or more, nearly twice the legal limit of impairment. Those crashes killed 9,027 people in 2021.
In Texas, a new law goes into effect September 1, 2023 that will require anyone convicted of intoxication manslaughter who kills the parents of young children to pay child support until they turn 18. Read more about HB393 here.
NHTSA says its data shows that historically summer months tend to be more dangerous on the road. In 2021, drunk driving accounted for 31% of traffic crash fatalities. In 2021, 13,384 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 39 minutes, up from 2020, when one person was killed every 45 minutes in an impaired-driving crash in the United States.
“Impaired drivers put everyone, including themselves, at risk,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said. “We’re asking everyone to arrange for a sober ride home. It’s a matter of life and death.”
NHTSA urges everyone to plan ahead and never drive after consuming alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Instead, designate a sober driver or call a ride-hailing service or cab to get home safely. NHTSA warns that even one drink can begin to impair your driving ability.
If you see an impaired driver on the road, call 911.
Photo Credit: NHTSA.