New Years is supposed to be a time to celebrate the end of one year and the coming of another. Tragically, for some, the new year will never come because of a fatal drunk driving crash. For others, the new year may begin in a jail cell after a drunk driving arrest.
These concerns about New Years drunk driving are very real, as the dangers significantly increase around the holiday. In fact, according to Drive On, one of every 10 teens responding to a recent survey admitted to driving drunk on New Years Eve. Last December, Auto Guide also published an article indicating that New Years is the worst day for drunk driving, with almost half of the fatal car accidents on New Years involving a drunk driver.Our Munster accident attorneys urge everyone to make the choice to drive sober on this New Years. We also encourage parents to talk to their teenagers and establish rules and guidelines to ensure that they won’t be one of the large percentage of teens driving drunk.
Curbing Drinking and Driving Over New Years
Because New Years is such a dangerous time for drunk driving, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has a Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign that works with the individual states throughout the U.S. to both enforce drunk driving laws and to educate the public.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over website has indicated that Indiana will have increased law enforcement on the streets over the New Years holiday in order to try to identify and stop drunk drivers. Further, while Indiana ended their statewide Safe Family Travel enforcement blitz on December 2, the Criminal Justice Institute’s Traffic Safety Division is continuing their public service campaign by using sporting events and other media efforts to educate the public on drunk driving dangers.
With MADD reporting a total of 207 drunk driving deaths in Indiana throughout 2011, the hope is that the increased New Years enforcement efforts and the increased driver education will help prevent any deaths during the New Years holiday.
Stay Safe and Sober
Staying safe and sober on New Years is the responsibility of every driver in Indiana, both to comply with drunk driving laws but also to help save lives. Drunk driving is an extremely dangerous practice and if you choose to drive drunk on New Years, you put every driver and pedestrian on the road in danger.
To help ensure that you have a safe holiday:
- Always have a designated driver (DD).
- Make sure your DD doesn’t have a drink.
- Have cab money or a backup plan in case you need help getting home.
- Keep an eye on friends and remember that friends don’t let friends drive drunk.
- Find out where your teen is going to be, who he is going to be with and how he is getting home. If your teen is going to a party, talk to the parents and make sure it will be supervised. If necessary, offer to drive your teen yourself so you know he or she won’t get in the car with a drunk driver.
By following these tips, you make yourself, your kids and every other driver on the road a little safer this New Years holiday.
Attorney Burton A. Padove represents personal injury victims. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident, call (219) 836-2200 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
Additional Resources:
Highland Injury Attorneys & Your Risks of an Autumn Traffic Accident, Indiana Injury and Family Lawyer Blog, October 30, 2012
Thousands of Recalled Products Posing Injury Risks in Highland, Indiana Injury and Family Lawyer Blog, July 27, 2012