The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has kicked off its campaign to raise awareness about holiday drunk driving. The NHTSA Impaired Driving Prevention Campaign focuses on Halloween in particular and lasts until October 31, Halloween itself.
According to the NHTSA, in 2007, approximately 13,000 people were killed in crashes where alcohol-impaired driving was a factor. On average, roughly 40 percent of all traffic fatalities involve alcohol.
Halloween night is one of the most deadly nights of the year when it comes to drunk drivers. In 2007, on Halloween night (approximately 6 p.m. on October 31 to 6 a.m. November 1), 60 fatalities occurred, which amounts to approximately 52 percent of the highway fatalities that night alone, with 31 motorists driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. A year later in 2008, that percentage increased to 60 percent of highway fatalities on Halloween night where 75 drivers had a BAC above the legal limit, killing 125 people. This past year in 2009, 73 people died as a result of 35 intoxicated drivers, about 48 percent of the fatalities.
The NHTSA reports that since the year 2000, 714 people have lost their lives Halloween night because of 341 drunk drivers, which accounts for 48 percent of traffic fatalities that night alone. What makes drunk driving accidents even more tragic is that they could have easily been prevented.
As Los Angeles personal injury attorneys, we are reminding all of our readers to exercise caution when getting behind the wheel on Halloween as well as each and every day. The NHTSA recommends that partygoers plan a safe way home before the night’s festivities start and be sure to have a designated sober driver. If this isn’t possible, call a taxi, call a sober friend or use public transportation to get home if you’re impaired. If you see an intoxicated driver on the road, contact local law enforcement at once. You could save a life.
For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.
