The Fourth of July – a holiday where we celebrate the land of the free, the home of the brave, and the adoption of America’s Declaration of Independence. For most, the Fourth is a time to fly our flags high, bar-b-que with family and friends, look up to the heavens at beautiful fireworks displays… and enjoy some frosty (alcoholic) beverages. Unfortunately the Fourth festivities often turn tragic on the nation’s roads.
Over the Fourth of July holiday in 2014 (6 p.m. July 3rd to 5:59 a.m. July 7th), 164 people lost their lives in the United States in crashes involving another vehicle (both cars and motorcycles) with a driver who had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher. These preventable deaths make up 41% of the 397 people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes over the Fourth of July period.
In every state and the District of Columbia, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. Yet of these 164 people killed over the 2014 Fourth of July holiday, 113 (69%) of them died in crashes involving at least one driver operator with a blood alcohol content of .15 or higher – almost twice the legal limit.
This Fourth of July, there’s no excuse. If you choose to drive drunk, you’re choosing to put your life and those of other innocent people into unsafe hands. With all the options that are available, why risk lives? Plan ahead. Don’t drink and drive and be the cause of some family’s tragedy.
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign aligns with Impaired Driving Critical Emphasis Area outreach strategies within the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan, working toward the goal of Zero Fatalities. For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov.