Experts Recommend Spending The Holidays At Home

Experts Recommend Spending The Holidays At Home.
The celebration opportunity is one of the most dangerous times of the year on US roads. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, as many as 900 kinsfolk nationwide could die in crashes caused by drunk driving, sanctuary officials report. "We've made tremendous strides in changing the social norms associated with drinking and driving, but the poser is far from solved," Jonathan Adkins, deputy executive director for the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) said in an group news release.

And "Alcohol-impaired driving claimed 10,322 lives ultimate year, an increase of 4,6 percent compared with 2011. That's an alarming statistic and one we're committed to address". The GHSA and its members - which contain all 50 magnificence highway safety offices - are joining federal and style police to launch the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over program. The aggressiveness combines high-visibility law enforcement with advertising and grassroots efforts to detect and prevent drunk driving.

The program started Dec 13, 2013 and continues through Jan 1, 2014. In an strain to reduce drunk driving, 18 states have ignition-interlock laws for first-time drunk-driving offenders. The GHSA is encouraging other states to bring about such laws. The tie also is partnering with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a long-term learn to assess best practices in state ignition-interlock laws.

The results are expected to be released in near the start 2014. The GHSA also is backing efforts to increase and test new technology called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety. The arrangement has in-car sensors that measure blood alcohol levels by breath or touch to settle on if the driver is below the legal limit for impairment.

Although it holds promise, the technology is still in the early phase of development, according to the news broadcast release. Many states have stepped up roadside enforcement programs and public-education campaigns. The California Office of Traffic Safety, meanwhile, offers a smartphone app that provides maps showing the locations of bars that volunteer free, nonalcoholic drinks and other incentives to sedate designated drivers med world. The Maryland Highway Safety Office provides workshops to describe how the bottle affects a person's ability to drive.