The holiday season is upon us and along with the family gatherings and celebrations outside the home come joy and merriment, occasionally accompanied by excessive alcohol use. This can lead to good people getting caught in troubling situations when they get behind the wheel of their cars.
Every holiday season, law enforcement agencies increase patrols to keep an eye out for lawless driving behaviors such as DUI. Add to this fact is December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.
The Christmas and New Year’s holiday bump
Of the more than 36,000 people who died in crashes on U.S. roads in 2019, a total of 28% were due to drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DUI-related arrests and fatalities increase during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Look at these numbers from 2019 and see for yourself.
- New Year’s Day: During the four-day holiday period of that year, 437 people died in road crashes. A total of 36% were due to drunk driving.
- Christmas: During that one-day holiday period, 140 died in crashes with 38% of the fatalities attributed to drunk driving.
A DUI conviction may bring harsh penalties including incarceration, hefty fines, the loss of driver’s license and even loss of your vehicle. Along with such penalties come hidden costs such as damaged personal and professional reputations, paying for a rehabilitation program and skyrocketing auto insurance costs.
Make responsible choices
Please drink responsibly during this holiday season. You do not want to be in the middle of a predicament leading to a DUI arrest. Continue to make responsible choices.