Motorists Urged to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over During Holidays
Every year at the holiday season, motorists driving while impaired by alcohol cause traffic accidents. Last year alone, 259 people died in drunk driving accidents over the Christmas and New Year period. These deaths are entirely preventable.
To combat the number of accidents and deaths caused by drunk drivers, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began its yearly Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign recently.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is disseminated through multiple channels every year. Through January 1, 2017, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over advertisements will be running throughout the country. Police departments will be on stepped-up patrol to guard against drunk drivers.
The campaign also urges people to follow public safety measures about drinking and driving. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’s recommendations are designed to make sure no one who has been drinking gets behind a wheel this holiday season.
These measures include:
- not driving if you’ve been drinking
- designating a sober driver
- using SaferRide, an NHTSA app that will call a taxi or friend to pick you up. The SaferRide app is available through Google Play or iTunes.
The NHTSA also rolled out a new app called Last Call 360, which shows an interactive bar scene via a 360º video. With Last Call 360, viewers on a computer or mobile phone can see drinking at a bar, patron interaction, and, most importantly, the consequences of drinking and driving.
Driver alcohol detection system
As part of its announcement, the NHTSA also noted that U.S. and Virginia state officials have allocated more than $5 million in funding to further develop and use the Drive Alcohol Detection System (DADSS), a safety technology that can passively discern blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in drivers.
If drivers have a BAC of 0.08% or above, they will be prevented from starting a vehicle without having to breathe into a device. The 0.08% BAC is the level at which a driver is impaired by alcohol in all U.S. states.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a drunk driver, the law is on your side. In the state of California, with the help of a personal injury lawyer, victims of drunk driving accidents may be entitled to monetary compensation to help with expenses, including those related to medical care, loss of income, and even funerals.
For a free consultation with veteran Los Angeles car accident lawyers at Ellis Injury Law, please call 310-641-3335. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve.