Wednesday, December 26, 2001

'Tis the season to drive sober

The Fayette County Health Department joins with local, state, and federal national organizations in an effort to educate the public during the month of December, which is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

I must first tell you a story that will stay with me the rest of my life, and which I hope will impress upon you the dangers of impaired driving.

While working as a staff nurse at the NavalRegional Medical Centerin Okinawa, Japan, I was privileged to serve with an "old gunny" (Gunnery Sergeant) on the Neuropsychiatry/Detoxification Unit. He told me that he had once known a man who had a routine of stopping by the bar for a drink on the way home from work.

If he'd had a particularly bad day, he would stay longer and drink more. Nevertheless, he always drove himself home at night. This had become such a habit with him that the man's wife thought nothing of him coming in late and falling asleep on the couch; she was just glad to have him home.

One morning, this gentleman was awakened from his sleep on the couch by the ear-piercing screams of his wife. He jumped up and rushed to see what was the matter, stopping dead in his tracks behind his wife, who was standing in the opened front door. He stared in horror at the sight of the body of a seven-year-old child impaled on the front grill of his car. While driving home the night before, impaired by alcohol, he had run into the child without realizing it.He thoughtthe time that he had just driven acrossa bump in the road. I am still horrified at the images this story evokes as I tell it now although more than 20 years have passed since I first heard it.

In 2000, alcohol was involved in 40 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States. That translates to 16,653 alcohol-related traffic deaths, or one personkilled every 33 minutes. Additionally, an estimated 310,000 people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present. That means one person is injured every 2 minutes, every day in alcohol-related traffic incidents.

In Georgia last year there were 1,541 traffic fatalities, 37 percent (or 570) of which were alcohol-related. Traffic fatalities among youth in this state in 1999 numbered 231, and 65 (or 28.2 percent) of those deaths were alcohol-related. Fully one third of all deaths among 15-20 year olds result from motor vehicle crashes, and more than one third of these deaths involved alcohol in 1999.

Analysis of crashes involving youth show that teens are more likely to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an impaired driver, and drive after drinking alcohol or using drugs. Another study (National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors 1999: The Gallop Organization) states that:

On average, drinker-drivers consume 2.7 drinks before driving. Drinker-drivers under age 21 consume an average of 6.3 drinks prior to driving

While those age 16-20 make only about 1% of all drinking-driving trips, they do so at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level three times that of legal age drinkers.

· About two in ten persons age 21 to 29 has ridden with a driver they thought might have consumed too much alcohol to drive safely. The number rises to one in four for those persons age 16 to 20.

· Of those who rode with unsafe persons, four in ten riders decided that their drivers were unsafe before they got into the vehicle, but still rode with them.

As drivers who are relatively new to the road, young adults under the age of 21 are still learning to negotiate roadways, learn the general rules of the road, and more importantly: how to make good choices. When alcohol or drugs is added, the mix can be deadly and the criminal repercussions severe (DUI and underage drinking).

Whether adult or teen, the simple fact of the matter is that driving while impaired is dangerous and a criminal offense. Alcohol has become an accepted, even expected fixture of holiday celebrations, sporting events, and just about any social occasion that one can imagine. Therefore, the possibility of an individual encountering a situation in which he or she might be tempted to drive impaired is high.

Problems can be easily avoided by choosing a designated driver or planning alternate modes of transportation (i.e. Marta, cab, rent transport for a group, have someone pick you up, stay where you are, etc.). Unfortunately, too many people drive while impaired and cite inconvenience, pride or embarrassment as excuses for reckless behavior. Others think that alcohol does not affect their coordination, judgement, or ability to react.

Studies have shown that impairment of some element involved in driving is adversely affected at any blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.00. BAC is affected by many variables (i.e. body mass, previous experience with alcohol, amount of food consumed before drinking, medical conditions, etc.). Thus, the answer to the question, "How much is too much?" varies widely among individuals and situations.

It is always best to use a designated driver, or make alternate travel arrangements if you plan to drink. The only truly safe driving is sober driving.

Impaired driving is a serious issue that costs our residents millions of dollars each year in lost time, lost resources, diminished quality of life and, most importantly, lost lives. The greatest tragedy is that deaths due to alcohol/drug related crashes are not accidents - they are preventable. You can help keep our roads safe and save lives (maybe even your own) by remembering:If you drink/drug and drive, you lose.