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12/21/2007 - All Drivers Urged to be Especially Cautious during Holiday Season
With the height of the holiday season just around the corner, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has been hard at work educating the public about the increased dangers of driving during the holiday season. The Christmas and New Year’s holidays have seen dramatic increases in accidents relating to impaired drivers each year since 1982, the year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began keeping records.
Both the DOT and the NHTSA have been conducting a two-faceted public education campaign, urging motorists to stay off the roads if they are impaired as well as educating the public about the increased likelihood of a vehicular accident.
According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, 38 percent of all traffic fatalities during the Christmas period occur in crashes involving a drunk driver or motorcycle rider and 41 percent during the New Year’s period. This compares with 31 percent for the year as a whole. 1,076 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher in December of 2006.
According to information recently released by the NHTSA, there are approximately 35 deaths nationwide each day in accidents involving at least one impaired driver. That number increases to 45 per day during the Christmas period and a staggering 54 per day over the New Year’s holiday. Keep in mind that because Christmas and New Years fall on Tuesdays this year, the entire weekend will likely see an increase in impaired drivers on the road. Drivers are urged to be especially careful while driving.
For truck drivers, driving a personal vehicle while under the influence can affect their CDL status. If your license is suspended due to a D.U.I infraction, your CDL license is suspended as well. Repercussions of a D.U.I. vary by State.
“If you’ve had too much holiday spirit you’d better find a safe and sober ride. Driving while drunk is not worth the risk,” Peters said, noting that driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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