It's time to say good-bye to 2011 and celebrate the New Year. However, celebrating it responsibly is important.
Last year the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released data that says one in ten drivers report driving when they thought that their alcohol level might have been close to or possibly over the legal limit within the past year, and just over half of those say they have done this more than once within the past year.
The AAA Foundation’s study also says nine out of ten Americans are in favor of requiring all drivers who have been convicted of DWI more than once to use a device that won’t let their car start if they have been drinking.
Additionally, a new analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2000 to 2009 found that an average of 80 people a year are killed in alcohol-related crashes on New Year’s Day—almost two and a half times as many as on the same day of the week in other weeks around New Year’s. In 2009, 73 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes on New Year’s Day. In 2005—the last time New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday—98 people died in alcohol-related crashes on New Year’s Day.
AAA is asking motorists to visit TakeThePledge.AAA.com to sign a quick online pledge to drive only while drug and alcohol-free this holiday season and all year long. Once you’ve taken the free pledge, you can share it via Facebook and Twitter, or even send personalized E-cards to encourage others to do the same.
In Atlanta and throughout Georgia, Operation Zero Tolerance (OZT) is enforced 24-7-365, but special enforcement periods are also used to target travel periods when impaired driving and holiday traffic volumes are historically the highest on Georgia’s roadways. During OZT campaigns, police using roadchecks and concentrated patrols enforce the Over the Limit, Under Arrest policy for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08, the legal BAC limit in all 50 states.
For more information about the survey and other materials related to drinking and driving visit www.AAAFoundation.org.
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