Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving: ‘Tis the Season to Make a Plan

Manderson, WY — ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and ‘tis the season to celebrate that jolliness responsibly. The winter holiday season ushers in parties and festivities, and that means more drunk drivers on the roads. To help keep drivers and their passengers safe, the Manderson Police Department (MPD) is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to caution drivers about the dangers of drinking and driving. Help NHTSA and MPD share this message: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
When a driver is drunk behind the wheel, he or she puts everyone around them at risk. In fact, males are even more at risk for drunk driving: In December 2021, 721 drunk male drivers were involved in fatal crashes, compared to 298 drunk female drivers. If you plan to head out to festivities, make sure you plan a sober ride home, because driving drunk should never be an option. Even one drink is too many if you’re the driver.
NHTSA data shows that 13,384 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involved alcohol-impaired drivers in 2021. This represented 31% of all traffic fatalities in the United States for the year, and a 14.2% increase from 2020. As holiday parties increase during this festive season, do not contribute to these senseless deaths by driving drunk. On average, more than 11,000 people were killed each year from 2017 to 2021, and one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 39 minutes in 2021. This is why MPD is working together with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is a matter of life and death. Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
“Driving is a privilege, not a right,” reminds MPD Chief Brandon Kidgell. “We want our community to have a joy-filled holiday season, but we want everyone to do so responsibly, and that means refraining from drinking and driving. The list of consequences is long and can stay with you for a lifetime,” he said.
Nationally, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah, where the limit is .05 g/dL. And the costs can be financial, too: If you’re caught drinking and driving, you could face jail time, lose your driver’s license and your vehicle, and pay up to $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, car towing, higher insurance rates, and lost wages.
No one should mix drinking and driving, and no one is immune to the effects of drunk driving. If you find yourself drunk and stranded with your vehicle, give your keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you home. Remind your friends to never get in the vehicle with a drunk driver. If you have a friend who is about to drive drunk, take away their keys and help them get home safely. Don’t worry about offending someone — you might be saving their life, or someone else’s. Always have a plan before you head out for the evening. If you wait until after you’ve been drinking to figure out how to get from one place to the next, you may already be too impaired to make the right choices.
For more information about the Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving campaign, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.