Drunk driving ruins holidays

Submitted by Canton1 on
Melisa Rhodes Guest columnist

Police aim to save lives with ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’

If you’re enjoying the holidays with a drink, here’s a message for you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

 Due to the increase in drunk-driving related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across Texas will be actively searching for and arresting drunk drivers from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1. They have good reason to: In 2014, 1,041 people were killed in Texas in crashes involving a drunk driver.

In December 2014 alone, there were 82 people killed on Texas roadways in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Ten of those deaths occurred on Christmas Eve.

It’s time for all drivers to get the message. Drunk driving is a choice you make, and when you make that choice, people can get hurt or die. That’s why we’re reminding everyone to share the message: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
The safest way to get home is to drive sober or catch a ride with a sober designated driver. If you plan on drinking at the holiday party or at a restaurant, hand the keys over to someone else — a sober friend, a taxi or public transportation. Or, try the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s SaferRide mobile app, which allows users to call a taxi or a friend by identifying their location so they can be picked up.

The app is available at http://ow.ly/RWs3S for Android and http://ow.ly/RWs8h for iPhone users.

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