Your Turkey Will Taste a Lot Better Without Alcohol – Don’t Drive Drunk!

If you thought a few extra pounds added to your weight was the only downside to Thanksgiving, think again.

According to Traffic Safety Marketing, during the holiday season, nearly 753 people were killed in crashes involving drivers and motorcycle drivers with 0.08 grams per deciliter or higher blood alcohol concentration.

Buzzed Driving keeps the local emergency workers on high alert as intoxicated drivers put their lives and those of others at risk. Too many drinks at a family gathering on Thanksgiving make this holiday one of the most dangerous times to be on the road. People making a dash to reach home in time after a wine-infused family dinner to get to work the next day results in a swarm of drunk drivers with the fates of many lives in their hands.

Consequences of Alcohol-Impaired Driving

• You put your own life, the lives of your loved ones and everyone around you on the line when you drive under the influence of alcohol.
• The financial cost including compensation, attorney’s fee, court costs, towing charges etc. after a motor vehicle crash of this nature can drown you in debt for years to come.
• Losing your license on the spot and enhanced penalties render you virtually handicapped. You won’t be able to drive on your own and will have to always depend on someone else for a ride.
• Information about your license getting revoked because of drunk driving leads to embarrassment and humiliation in front of family, friends and colleagues.
• The guilt of taking someone’s life or injuring them or yourself for that matter can have an adverse psychological impact on you, scarring your life ahead.

What you should do to avoid drunk-driving crashes

• Plan ahead of Thanksgiving and devise a safe way home before the celebrations begin.
• Appoint a designated driver if you plan to drink. A designated driver will ensure that you and your friends or family members reach home safely.
• If you spot a drunk driver, contact your local law enforcement authorities.
• If someone you know is about to drive/ride under the influence, take away their keys and help them get a cab or arrange an alternative mode of transportation for them.
• Talk to your teenage children about the ill effects of drunk driving before they go out to party. Advise them to stop their friends from driving drunk.
• If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving party and some of your guests do not have a designated driver or an alternative means of transportation, ask them to stay over. Be a responsible host and don’t let anyone drink and drive.
• If you’re a business owner, posting Don’t Drink and Drive Signs at parking lots, entrances, exits and other strategic locations will reinforce the idea among customers who’d think twice before getting behind the wheel.

Heavy traffic, long-distance road trips and alcohol mixed together make a bad Thanksgiving recipe. Drive Sober this Thanksgiving.