Keeping Florida’s Roads Safe on St. Patrick’s Day
It’s been said that everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day — but, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to make motorists aware that the luck of the Irish may run out for them if they decide get behind the wheel after a St. Patty’s Day bash.
To drive the point home to green-bedecked revelers, the NHTSA is mounting a St. Patrick’s Day Impaired Driving Prevention Campaign in conjunction with state and local governments from March 12-18, reminding would-be partiers that getting in their cars and driving drunk can bring dire consequences to themselves and to others.
According to NHTSA statistics, in 2009, there were 103 crash fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day. Of those accidents, 37 percent involved people with blood-alcohol levels of .08 or higher.
Here are a few suggestions to make your St. Patrick’s Day party plans safer:
- Make a plan for a safe way home before you go out.
- Choose a designated sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
- Use your community’s sober ride program.
- Call law enforcement if you see a drunk driver on the road.
- Take the car keys away from those too drunk to drive and help them arrange for other transportation to get them where they are going safely.
Impaired driving not only can result in death and injuries on Florida’s roads and highways, it can also mean arrest, loss of license, higher insurance rates, jail time, and job loss; plus a whole litany of expenses from court costs to auto repairs.
The Orlando drunk driving accident lawyers at Farah & Farah wants everybody to have fun on St. Patrick’s Day — just be smart and do it responsibly. Let’s get everybody home safe this year.
Sources: http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/CAMPAIGNS/Drunk+Driving/Buzzed+Driving+is+Drunk+Driving/Saint+Patrick%27s+Day
