Plan Ahead for a Non-drinking Driver Before the Celebration Begins
Long holiday weekends can be dangerous on America’s roads, and July 4th and the days surrounding the national holiday are among the deadliest for drunk driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) urges everyone to celebrate safely by planning ahead and designating a non-drinking driver if plans include alcohol.
Law enforcement will be setting up sobriety checkpoints and out in full force arresting drivers who are not sober during this holiday.
Sobriety checkpoints are an enforcement program that allows officers to stop all or predetermined vehicles to check for sobriety of the drivers.
More people die in drunk driving crashes in July than any other month, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The July 4 holiday is particularly deadly. Drunk driving typically accounts for about 40% of all traffic deaths on July 4th and the weekend before or after. According to NHTSA, 39% of all traffic deaths from 6 p.m. Friday June 30 to 5:59 a.m. Wednesday July 5, 2017, were alcohol-related. Drunk driving killed 237 people in that time period that year (the most current data available from NHTSA).
Drunk driving remains the leading killer on our roads, yet these senseless deaths are 100 percent preventable, 100 percent of the time. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving is helping create a future with No More Victims®. The campaign includes advocacy for stronger drunk driving laws including ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders, support for high-visibility law enforcement, support for advanced vehicle technologies and public support for these initiatives.
MADD reminds everyone to take personal responsibility every day by using taxis, public transportation, rideshare services or calling a non-drinking friend if their plans include alcohol.