We are in the Christmas season, a time of giving and a time to be with our families. Often, this means traveling.
This festive season brings with it many hazards for those hitting the road, beyond the ones thrown at them by Mother Nature. These trips often involve partying and/or being on the road for long periods of time.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, impaired driving is a chronic problem that will affect one in three Americans in their lifetime. Nearly 42,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year, and about 16,000 of these are alcohol-related. Every day of the year, alcohol-related crashes account for one death every 33 minutes and one person injured every 2 minutes.
Then there is drowsy driving.
The National Sleep Foundation reports that 60 percent of adult drivers – about 168 million people – say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third have actually fallen asleep at the wheel. In fact, of those who have nodded off, 13 percent say they have done so at least once a month.
Four percent – approximately 11 million drivers – admit they have had an accident or near accident because they dozed off or were too tired to drive.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.
Add to this the convenience, and dangers of cell phones.
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while not distracted. In 2012, an estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, this reflects a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011. Law enforcement enforces the texting law throughout the year, but this holiday period, officers will place a special emphasis focused on locating those texting while driving.
There are a lot of distractions.
Be careful out there and make sure you arrive safely. That can be the greatest Christmas gift of all.
Dale Hogg
