GCSO warns of the dangers of holiday drinking, driving

This holiday season, the Garland County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind all drivers about the dangers of drinking and driving, according to a news release.

“As you head out for a night of merrymaking, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Unfortunately, instances of drunk driving increase during the holidays, as more people are attending parties and festivities, and then driving home. In 2018, 29% (10,511) of all vehicle crashes involved drunk drivers, and 885 of those deaths occurred in December alone,” the release said.

According to the NHTSA, 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2018. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2014 to 2018, so one person was killed in a drunk- driving crash every 50 minutes in 2018.

The GCSO said it wants to remind drivers that drunken driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death.

Motorists should designate a sober driver before heading out to the holiday festivities. Too many people take to the roadways after consuming alcohol because they think they are “OK to drive,” the release said. “They may think they’ve had enough to eat, enough water to drink, or that body weight may factor into the equation. But these are inaccurate ways of measuring whether someone is safe to drive.”

The designated driver should stay hydrated with water and other nonalcoholic beverages. They should “support other designated drivers, too. It can be a long night, but people are counting on you, not to mention the other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on the streets. Take the role of designated driver seriously — people are relying on you,” the release said.

For more information about the Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving campaign, visit https:// www. nhtsa. gov/risky- driving/ drunk-driving.