From SAFE COMMUNITIES OF WOOD COUNTY
This year as we celebrate our country’s birthday, thousands of families take to their cars driving to neighborhood cookouts, family picnics, and other summer festivities. Sadly, some of their Independence Day celebrations will end in tragedy as too many people decide to drink and drive.
Unfortunately, their bad choices have lasting effects on families.
According to NHTSA, 37,361 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2017, and 28 percent (10,497) of those fatalities occurred in a crash during which the driver had a BAC over the legal limit of .08. With Fourth of July festivities wrapping up in the evening or late at night, more cars will be on the roads.
Nighttime is especially dangerous: the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes during the 2017 July Fourth holiday period was more than three times higher at night than it was during the day. It’s essential that our community members understand the safety and financial risks they take when they drink and drive.
Under no circumstance is it ever acceptable to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after you’ve been drinking. Doing so endangers you and everyone on the road with you.
Before you head out for your celebrations, make sure you plan a sober way home. Law
enforcement in Wood County is taking part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign
during the Fourth of July holiday weekend to put an end to drunk driving. In support of law
enforcement’s dedication to protecting the lives of residents in their communities, you’ll
see increased enforcement on the roads zero tolerance for those who drive impaired.
