| Holiday seasons are
filled with social events – good times with good friends – and
more than a few warnings against drinking and driving. According to the
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), about four
in 10 traffic-related deaths during the Christmas and New Year’s
season involve drunk drivers.
But the danger of
impaired drivers is nearly as startling all year long. The federal Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in every three U.S.
traffic fatalities each year – one death every 48 minutes –
is caused by impaired driving. According to the CDC, in the year 2010
alone, American adults drank too much and got behind the wheel 112 million
times.
Impaired driving
is the height of irresponsibility. Not only are you endangering yourself,
your passengers and everyone else on the road, even if you don’t
cause an accident you still run the risk of losing your driver’s
license or becoming uninsurable.
States have responded
to the impaired-driving threat by lowering legal blood-alcohol limits
to a maximum of .08 percent. In Oklahoma, charges of driving while impaired
can be filed even if your blood alcohol content is as low as .05 percent,
provided officers have other evidence of your impairment, such as reckless
driving.
States also are
employing more sobriety checkpoints, setting zero-tolerance laws for
young drivers who drink, revoking the driver’s licenses of those
convicted of DUI, and instituting campaigns emphasizing the importance
of staying sober.
More important are
the steps you should take anytime your social plans involve alcohol:
When part of a group
and prior to any drinking, designate a non-drinking driver to get all
of you home safe and sound.
Don’t let your friends drive while impaired; take their keys away.
If you have been drinking without a designated driver, get a ride home
from a sober friend or call a taxi.
When hosting a party where alcohol is served, remind your guests to
plan ahead for a designated driver, offer alcohol-free beverages, and
be sure no guest leaves without their sober driver.
Should you commit even a first offense of driving under the influence
in Oklahoma, there are serious consequences. You will face a criminal
proceeding that could result in jail time of up to one year and a fine
of up to $1,000. You will face an administrative hearing with the state
Department of Public Safety in which your license could be lost for
180 days. And, even if you keep or regain your driver’s license,
you will be considered “high risk” by insurance companies
and charged far more for coverage than a safer driver would be –
that is, by any company still willing to do business with you.
The tragedy of impaired
driving accidents is compounded by the fact that they are so readily
avoidable. Take responsible steps like designating a driver before ever
drinking a drop, or step up and take responsibility for yourself or
a friend by calling a cab at the end of the night, and neither you nor
anyone else will have to deal with the tragic consequences of a drunk-driving
accident.
For more information
on any insurance topic in Oklahoma, visit the Oklahoma Insurance Department
online at oid.ok.gov or call our Consumer Assistance Division at (800)
522-0071.
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