It’s holiday party season – time to celebrate all of the exciting winter holidays with our friends and loved ones.  Our mailboxes are flooded with invitations to parties and dinners and other holiday get-togethers.  With these parties come food, fellowship, gifts, and in many cases, festive alcoholic drinks.

In 2008, nearly 12,000 people in the United States were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. During the periods around Christmas and New Year’s, this number was particularly high, with 316 people killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.  In 2007, 162,493 women were arrested for a DUI, an increase of almost 29% since 1998. (Can you say Bunco? Girls’ Night Out? Cookie Exchanges? Ornament Exchanges? It seems the opportunities to gather and celebrate and drink are endless these days).

Buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

You can’t help but wonder if lives could have been saved if people thought twice before getting behind the wheel. Sometimes, just TWO drinks is enough to be “buzzed” and (I’ll say it again): BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING.

With the holidays approaching, it’s important that drivers be reminded about the dangers of buzzed driving.  Who knows…it could save a life.

Yesterday, I participated in a Twitter event for this campaign hosted by Resourceful Mommy and the Buzzed Driving/Ad Council, and learned some interesting things, such as:

• In 2008, 16 percent of child traffic fatalities occurred in alcohol impaired driving crashes (remember, most children DON’T HAVE THE OPTION TO OPT OUT OF RIDING WITH AN IMPAIRED DRIVER, SO BE RESPONSIBLE).
• 140-plus people died last year during the Christmas season from alcohol-impaired driving.
• 173 people died last year during the New Year’s holiday period due to alcohol-impaired driving.
• Drinking lots of water before drinking alcohol will NOT help you stay sober longer. (Neither will food or charcoal tablets). The best remedy is to NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Ad Council are asking everyone to drive smart this holiday season and to pledge not to drive buzzed. I don’t drink, but I took the pledge anyway. You can take the pledge here, then tell your kids, friends and family that you did so and encourage them to do the same thing. It’s a great New Year’s Resolution that you can make early!

Other ways you can help spread the word and perhaps save a life this holiday season:

• Become a fan of the campaign on Facebook.
• Follow the campaign on Twitter.
• Visit the campaign Web site to watch Emily’s story and play an interactive game that demonstrates the difference between buzzed and drunk.
• If you have a blog, copy and paste this information into a post on your site!

While at holiday events, it’s easy to lose track of a drink here or there – but this can be fatal.  This holiday season, keep you and your family safe by spreading this message.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Posts like this

• Don’t Count on the Luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
• Family Holiday Getaway in Branson, MO
• Disney Releases Mickey & Pooh Holiday DVD’s
• Count Those Kids!
• Be Super Smart about the Super Bowl