Roughly 80 people die each year from drunk driver car accidents on New Year’s Day, as reported by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. That figure illustrates a 150 percent increase in the chances of one dying in an alcohol-related crash when comparing it to an average day this time of year.
What is even more startling is that experts predict these numbers to be even higher during the upcoming New Year’s 2011 celebration, because the holiday falls on a Saturday. While Chicago already experiences a serious drunk driving epidemic, the problem will dramatically spike during this weekend’s festivities.
The new study only highlights the death toll for drunk driving fatalities each holiday, it doesn’t account for the thousands of serious injuries that drunk drivers will cause their victims. Some of the victims may escape with bruises, scrapes, muscle soreness or whiplash, but many of the accidents will cause spinal cord injuries, or even traumatic brain injury.
Prevent Becoming a Drunk Driver Victim on New Year’s
The safest plan for New Year’s is to stay at home and avoid the roads altogether. For the serious reveler, this isn’t even an option. For those folks, here are some other practices that will hopefully lower that deadly 150 percent mark:
- Have a designated driver: a sober buddy can save your life;
- Use public transportation: taxis, buses or “the L” can get you around;
- Trust no vehicle: whether you are a pedestrian in a crosswalk or a motorist on the Dan Ryan Expressway, expect other nearby drivers to be intoxicated.
Regardless of your plans on, have a safe and happy New Year’s 2011.
Source: U.S. News