Stay Safe and Alert on the Roadways This Season

November 27, 2008 - Festive is the typical mood of the holidays. While the season certainly has its stressful moments as well, many realize that such moments are fleeting and approach the season in good spirits.

As many people know, however, some are inclined to spend the holidays celebrating a little too much. It's no secret, for example, that America's highways are never as dangerous and people more accident prone than during the holiday season. In Texas, where the Texas Department of Transportation notes there were better than 1,600 alcohol-related crashes on state roadways in 2006 alone, the number of such accidents routinely rises during the holidays.

Many find the most heartbreaking part of many alcohol-related crashes are the innocent victims. Oftentimes, drunk or impaired drivers crash into law-abiding motorists.

The heightened number of drug- or alcohol-related accidents during the holidays only underscore the importance for motorists to be more aware during this festive season. With the roadways often busy with shoppers and revelers alike, adhering to the following tips can be the safest way for motorists to keep themselves and their families safe this season.

• If you have consumed any alcohol, call a cab. Most states consider a person with a blood alcohol content (BAC) .08 or above to be legally drunk. But even if you've had just one drink and feel perfectly capable of driving, that one drink might have impaired your driving at least somewhat. Play it safe and take a taxi whenever you've had any alcohol, even if you only had one drink. Fully aware that drunk driving accidents increase during the holidays, police forces across the country set up checkpoints to ensure all drivers are sober. Avoid any potential problems by simply calling a ride whenever you've had any alcohol.
• Pay close attention and know where you're going. Even if a light is green, pay close attention to the intersection as you approach. Just because you're aware the light is green, that doesn't mean a potentially impaired driver or pedestrian crossing your lane knows that. Be sure to closely examine an intersection as you approach to safeguard you and those you're traveling with from anyone who might be running a red light, particularly if you're driving later at night.
• It's also important to travel with directions on hand. The more you drive during the holiday season, the more susceptible you become to an accident. In addition, if you don't know where you're going, you're more inclined to drive aimlessly and not be as attentive as you could be.
• Make sure everyone is buckled up. Simply put, there is never a good excuse to travel in a car without wearing a seat belt. In a study titled Association of Driver Air Bags with Driver Fatality: A Matched Cohort Study, by Peter Cummings, Barbara McKnight, Frederick P. Rivara, and David C. Grossman, seat belts were found to be more effective at reducing the risk of death than air bags. Seat belts were shown to reduce the risk of death by 65 percent, while air bags reduce the risk by 8 percent. Much of the risk that comes with driving involves relying on how well the strangers sharing the road with you drive. By wearing a seat belt at all times, you're greatly reducing the chance other drivers can fatally harm you.
• Obey the speed limit. The holidays are a busy time of year, and nearly everyone on the road is in a hurry to get somewhere. However, speeding is not only against the law, but potentially very dangerous as well. Obey the speed limit at all times. When speeding, it's easy to lose control of your vehicle should a fellow motorist begin swerving or driving erratically. Defensive driving should be practiced at all times, but even more so during the holiday season, when motorists cannot predict with whom they're sharing the road.

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