AuthorJacque Ryan, WKVI
According to statistics from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, 83 Hoosiers were killed in drunk driving collisions during 2018. Nationwide, a life is lost due to a drunk driving accident every 48 minutes.
Holiday weekends, like Labor Day weekend, see a spike in the number of people getting behind the wheel after drinking.
Starke County Prosecutor Leslie Baker is advising residents of Starke County to be mindful this Labor Day weekend and to avoid drinking and driving.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, in 2017, 256 drivers died over Labor Day weekend and 37 percent of them were drunk at the time of the crash. Studies show these fatalities are much more likely to occur at night and involve people between the ages of 21 and 34.
The choice is clear, if you have an alcoholic drink or use drugs that may impair you, even prescription medication, you should not drive.
There are plenty of steps Hoosiers can take to make sure they have a safe weekend:
- Make sure you have a safe, sober ride home before drinking alcohol
- Don’t let someone who has been drinking get behind the wheel
- If you’re hosting a party, make sure everyone has a sober way to get home
- Wear your seat belt, it’s the best defense if you’re involved in a collision with a drunk driver
- If you see a drunk driver, call law enforcement
Saturday will mark the end of National ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ week when law enforcement agencies make a concerted effort to initiate more OWI checkpoints and patrols in order to keep Indiana roads safe and to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.
This emphasis on making smart choices and to avoid driving while intoxicated should continue for Hoosiers into the holiday weekend and beyond.
Remember that even one drink is enough to impair your decision making. The information provided above came from an official press release issued by the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office
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