A Sobering Comparison 2792 & 10,500 + 10,500 + ...

December 2006

The holiday celebrations will soon begin in earnest. Alcohol has long been associated with joyous festivities and merrymaking. But where do you, personally, draw the line on enough? When do revelries turn to raucous and dangerous - namely driving when over your limit?

Recently a radio personality noted how little attention is paid to one of the most deadly pastimes in the United States - drunk driving. He suggested that if the national news agencies ran the statistics of drunk driving related deaths Each time they reached the number of deaths associated with the 9-11 tragedy, maybe people might begin to loose their complacency. The terrorism attack on our country is undeniably one of The worst act of terrorism to land on our shores. With the loss of over 2792 souls we remind the nation every year of these devastating numbers, we honor the day and those lost to us forever. 

A search of alcohol related deaths reveals shocking numbers. Mothers Against Drink Driving (www.madd.org) indicates that approximately 10,500 deaths occur EACH year. The New York State Troopers site (www.troopers.state.ny.us) claims the number to be 17,000 annually. To bring this astronomical number back down to a relatable figure, they note that this roughly translates to 310 funerals each week or one death every 30 minutes! Their Division of State Police claim that every 2 minutes there is an injury associated with drunk driving (so these numbers are not even included in most descriptions because we're only told of the fatalities).

Over the course of our lives 3 in 10 American will become involved in some type of alcohol related incident. The highest age range that they found in these crashes were drivers from 21 to 24 years old (32%), followed by ages 25 to 34 (27%) and 35 to 44 (24%). It isn't enough to simply know what your state's BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) level for arrest - you need to learn about what that translates for Your body. It matters how much you've eaten, how quickly you're consuming drinks over time, the alcohol content of the beverage and many other factors. Knowing your limit is everyone's accountability but stopping before you get there your responsibility.

A sad fact is that most people who've had too much to drink and believe themselves "fine" to drive have lost the ability to accurately determine if this is true at that moment in time. WE often think of being drunk as having blurred vision or being out of balance but one of the first things to go is judgment - our ability to make accurate assessments of ourselves. That's why people behave, say or do things "under the influence" that they later regret. Taking another person's life is a regret you can't take back.

So in this joyous time, as a parent, remember that you are teaching your child how to celebrate. If your festivities always include alcohol consider - what are the children observing? Even if they're not seeing you drinking, do you come home "under the influence"? Tipsy? That strong smell of alcohol on your breath? What are they observing about the family and friends behavior and how it changes as they drink? If the startling statistics don't sober you up, what about your child's experience and the lessons they're learning?

If you would like to help make a change, to tighten loopholes in the laws and provide stricter enforcement and punishment for these  devastating acts of daily terrorism, contact your state and local elected officials. It starts with our own personal responsibility, answering to our family's values and safety but with 3 in 10 as our likelihood of being on the receiving end of someone else's behavior we must take it to the next level and help keep it safer to everyone.

Wishing you and yours a truly safe and happy holiday season!