Showing posts with label DUI. Show all posts
Holiday Spirits
Posted by Unknown in AAA Foundation, AAAFTS, do as I say not as i do, Drinking and driving, DUI, Holidays, safety culture on Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Yesterday, AAA issued its annual end-of-year travel forecast, predicting a record-setting year in the number of motorists this holiday season. While in some ways this is good news – a sign of economic recovery, perhaps, and more people having the opportunity to visit loved ones – an impaired driver can turn the holidays into a nightmare for any of the 85.8 million people who are expected to travel by road this year. And unfortunately, our latest survey data indicate that in 2013, there have been as many impaired drivers out there as ever.
It’s not that people don’t “get it.” Our latest findings from the annual Traffic Safety Culture Index survey show that 96 percent of drivers think it’s somewhat or completely unacceptable for somebody to get behind the wheel when they think they may have had too much to drink. A high number (91%) perceive social disapproval of drunk driving from others, and 93 percent say drivers who have been drinking pose a somewhat or very serious threat to their personal safety. There is even relatively strong support for countermeasures to impaired driving, such as ignition interlocks.
Yet among people who report consuming alcohol (and who are licensed drivers), roughly one-in-five admit to driving when they thought their BAC level was close to or over the legal limit, at least once in the past year. And the problem isn’t just alcohol: there is much less public concern about drugged driving (illicit or prescription), and among people who report using marijuana, more than a third (36%) said they’ve driven within an hour of doing so in the past year. This is an attitude that we’ve long described with the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
The spirit of the season may bring joy for the holidays, but the spirits – when combined with driving – can be deadly. Indeed, far too many people already mark the holidays with sadness at the loss of a loved one to an impaired driving crash. So for the sake of yourself, your family and friends, and the tens of millions of people with whom you’ll share the road this season, don’t wait until New Years to make a resolution to avoid driving impaired. By then it could be too late.
For more information about our latest impaired driving survey data, and for tips on staying safe on the road this holiday season, please check out our new fact sheet. And please, have a safe and happy holiday.
It’s not that people don’t “get it.” Our latest findings from the annual Traffic Safety Culture Index survey show that 96 percent of drivers think it’s somewhat or completely unacceptable for somebody to get behind the wheel when they think they may have had too much to drink. A high number (91%) perceive social disapproval of drunk driving from others, and 93 percent say drivers who have been drinking pose a somewhat or very serious threat to their personal safety. There is even relatively strong support for countermeasures to impaired driving, such as ignition interlocks.
Yet among people who report consuming alcohol (and who are licensed drivers), roughly one-in-five admit to driving when they thought their BAC level was close to or over the legal limit, at least once in the past year. And the problem isn’t just alcohol: there is much less public concern about drugged driving (illicit or prescription), and among people who report using marijuana, more than a third (36%) said they’ve driven within an hour of doing so in the past year. This is an attitude that we’ve long described with the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
The spirit of the season may bring joy for the holidays, but the spirits – when combined with driving – can be deadly. Indeed, far too many people already mark the holidays with sadness at the loss of a loved one to an impaired driving crash. So for the sake of yourself, your family and friends, and the tens of millions of people with whom you’ll share the road this season, don’t wait until New Years to make a resolution to avoid driving impaired. By then it could be too late.
For more information about our latest impaired driving survey data, and for tips on staying safe on the road this holiday season, please check out our new fact sheet. And please, have a safe and happy holiday.
Leading by Example this Saint Patrick's Day
Posted by Unknown in AAA Foundation, AAAFTS, do as I say not as i do, Drinking and driving, DUI, Holidays, safety culture on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Earlier this year, we released the fifth installment of our annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, a nationally-representative survey of the attitudes and behaviors of the American motoring public. As in previous years, we found that a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude persists, with many people admitting to doing the very same dangerous things – such as drinking and driving – that they say are unacceptable for others to do.Consider the following:
-- More than nine-in-ten drivers say that drunk drivers are a serious threat to safety;
-- Nearly all (97%) say it is unacceptable for people to drive when they think they may have had too much to drink;
-- Four-in-five drivers support requiring ignition interlock use by all DWI offenders; and
-- More than half of people say drunk driving is a bigger problem today than it was three years ago.
However, despite these attitudes, roughly one-in-sevendrivers admit that they drove when they thought their blood alcohol level was close to or over the legal limit, at least once in the past year. Among the biggest culprits were males, 18.1 percent of whom reported drinking and driving (vs. 10% of females), and drivers in their early 20s, more than a quarter of whom admitted to this.
Friday and Saturday nights in general see the most drunk-driving-related crashes and fatalities, and with Saint Patrick’s Day falling on a weekend this year, there could be an even bigger risk. From our safety culture survey, we know that motorists are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. So this year, we hope that more people will turn away from a “do as I say, not as I do” stance, and instead choose to “lead by example.” How? By designating a driver this Saint Patrick’s Day, taking public transportation, or calling a cab, and by watching out for friends and always buckling up!
Drinking and Driving: A Preventable Cause of Death
Posted by Unknown in do as I say not as i do, Drinking and driving, drinking driving safety culture fatal car crashes, driving safety, DUI on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Washington Post's Letter to the Editor on Monday featured findings from our 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index relating to drinking and driving. In that survey, we found that ‘Almost everyone said that drinking and driving was unacceptable, yet 14 percent said that within the year they had driven with an alcohol level probably near or above the legal limit’.
This means there are people out on our roads who find drinking and driving to be acceptable, and again shows the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude that exists among drivers. With all the progress we have made in this country towards increasing awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence, it’s clear we have a long road ahead when it comes to changing people’s attitudes and behaviors.
It is my hope that every year we publish this index, we will see the percentage of people who put their lives and others at risk by drinking and driving decrease, and finally put a stop to this easily preventable cause of death on our roads.
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