Alcohol Awareness Class Partners With Drunk Driving Prevention Month

by: Mike Miller
12/9/2016

If you are a regular reader of my blogs, every day and every month is drunken driving prevention time. 

Dec. 1 marks the beginning of National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

December is one of the most notorious months for arrests, accidents and deaths involving alcohol or other drugs because of a heightened amount of parties, social gatherings and other holiday celebrations.

On a daily basis, nearly 36 people are killed and another 700 are injured in drunk driving accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives. However, even if a person is not driving, he or she is still at risk.

Friends Let Friends Drive Drunk              

According to the Illinois state law, knowingly permitting a driver under the influence to operate a vehicle has a risk of a Class A misdemeanor with possible imprisonment of up to one year and fines up to $2,500.

Jeremy Richey, a Charleston (South Carolina) attorney, said, in 2010 there were 337 DUI cases filed in Coles County.  Richey said he advises those who are older than 21 to not drink at all if they are getting behind the wheel.

College students are especially at risk for alcohol-related crashes.

1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including vehicle crashes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

If planning a holiday party, select a designated driver in the invitation. Also, offering non-alcoholic drinks and providing a designated driver or taxi can be highly effective in reducing risks.