The Fourth of July, otherwise known as “Independence Day,” is one of the most important celebrations of the year for Americans. Usually, the federal holiday is celebrated with fireworks, family reunions, concerts, barbeques, picnics, and parades in towns large and small. It’s also celebrated with plenty of alcohol, which makes the Fourth of July one of the busiest drinking and driving holidays in the nation. Whenever there’s a popular holiday, such as Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, there’s a measurable uptick in drunk driving arrests and crashes. In order to keep roadway users safe, law enforcement agencies across the country step up their anti-drinking and driving campaigns during major holidays, where alcohol is abundant in celebrations.
Drunk Driving Statistics
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), “Every 2-hours, three people are killed in alcohol-related highway crashes.” The BTS went on to say that in 2010, an estimated four million adults in the United States admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol. “Men accounted for 81 percent of these incidents,” reported the BTS. What about Texas? The Texas Department of Transportation says that about every 20 minutes in Texas, “someone is hurt or killed in a crash involving alcohol.” So, drunk driving is a year-round problem, but it increases over major holidays, such as the Fourth of July. Will alcohol be a part of your celebration? If so, here’s how to have a safe, DWI-free Fourth of July:
- Plan ahead. If you’ll be drinking, go to the party or barbeque with a designated driver who won’t drink a drop of alcohol.
- If your friends and family don’t want to be a designated driver, take a cab, or use Uber or Lyft.
- If you’re hosting, don’t let your friends drive drunk. Either arrange a safe ride home for them or let them sleep at your place for the night.
- Whatever you do, don’t drink and drive. It’s just not worth the risk of getting into a crash or being arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).
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