Dangerous Roads Make Fourth of July a Deadly Holiday, Local Organizations Warn; Alcohol-Related Crashes Cause Nearly 40 Percent of Deaths.City Desks SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2003 Local Organizations Promote Awareness, Give Tips on Designated Driving The Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. has become Washington's deadliest holiday, with more fatal crashes than any other holiday and nearly 40 percent of those crashes involving a drunk driver. This year, concerned organizations and PEMCO PEMCO Precision Engineering and Manufacturing Company (Pascagoula, Mississippi Insurance ask drivers to treat Independence Day as one of the most dangerous times to be on the road, and the most important time to use a designated driver designated driver Public health A person at a social function who volunteers, or is 'volunteered' to chauffeur inebriated revellers chez elles at festivity's end. Cf Squash it. . "Make a promise now, before the festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. begin, not to drink and drive," said Jon Osterberg, spokesperson for PEMCO Insurance, which helped organize the designated driver awareness campaign. "Ask a sober friend to drive, take a cab, stay at the party -- just don't take the risk of ruining your life and the lives of others." From 1991 to 2001, fatal automobile wrecks during the Fourth of July holiday killed 102 people in Washington. In comparison, New Year's holiday fatalities in Washington totaled only 57 during the same period, while Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. weekend each had 93 fatalities, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. statistics from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC WTSC World Telecommunication Standardization Conference WTSC Wet Tantalum Slug Capacitor ). Alcohol use played a significant role in the Fourth of July fatalities, with nearly 40 percent involving a driver who had been drinking.
Holiday Fatalities in Washington State
1991-2001 Holiday Persons Deaths per 24
Hours Killed Hours
New Years 810 57 1.69
Memorial Day 858 93 2.60
4th of July 858 102 2.85
Labor Day 858 93 2.60
Thanksgiving 1,122 95 2.03
Christmas 834 66 1.90
Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System, WTSC
"If you're going to be drinking on the Fourth, driving yourself home is simply not an option," said Karen Minahan, president of Mother's Against Drunk Driving Washington (MADD MADD Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Public health An organization that advocates stricter legislation against DUI and underage drinking, and provides support services for victims of DUI collisions. See DUI. Washington). "We have got to stop this insanity insanity, mental disorder of such severity as to render its victim incapable of managing his affairs or of conforming to social standards. Today, the term insanity is used chiefly in criminal law, to denote mental aberrations or defects that may relieve a person from so that others will not suffer my same fate -- or worse." Six years ago, after helping her son load DJ equipment and small boxes into the back of a van after the Puyallup School District Puyallup School District is a school district that supports the City of Puyallup, Washington and surrounding area. It is the 9th largest school district in Washington. The District has twenty-two elementary schools, six junior high schools, three senior high schools and an 9th grade prom at the Puyallup Fair The Puyallup Fair, formerly officially known as the Western Washington Fair, is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The fair continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States. Grounds, Karen was struck three times by an impaired driver (.26 BAC BAC abbr. blood alcohol concentration , doing 35-40 mph), and almost struck a fourth time before the person who was in charge of the facility pulled the keys out of the ignition. Karen was not given any hopes of survival, spent a month in a coma, three months total in Harborview, and as a result lost her right leg above the knee. She has had 28 surgeries to date and has two more to go. Local Businesses and Organizations Join Together to Promote Designated Drivers PEMCO Insurance, WTSC and MADD Washington are part of a group of local businesses and organizations campaigning for increased awareness of DUI dangers during the Fourth of July weekend. The WTSC, PEMCO Insurance and BELO Corp, owners of KING-TV, KONG-TV and Northwest Cable News NorthWest Cable News is a regional 24-hour television news network based in Seattle, Washington. It is similar to New England Cable News, which operates out of the Boston area and covers the New England states. The service is owned by Belo Corp. , are sponsoring an ad campaign during the Fourth of July weekend encouraging designated driving. Speakers from the Washington State Patrol, the DUI Victims Panel, MADD Washington, WTSC and PEMCO Insurance will hold a public presentation on July 3 to promote designated driving and other DUI prevention methods. WTSC also is sponsoring a statewide crackdown on drunk driving over the summer months by funding extra DUI enforcement patrols. The first wave of the enforcement activity is scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend. "Some people think drunk driving was a problem that we solved in the 1980s, but the number of drunk driving deaths in Washington each year continues to be staggering," said John Moffat John Moffat may refer to:
The best approach to the problem involves the work of law enforcement and the media. "We are scheduling extra patrols and paying for them with overtime funding, and we are publicizing pub·li·cize tr.v. pub·li·cized, pub·li·ciz·ing, pub·li·ciz·es To give publicity to. Noun 1. publicizing - the business of drawing public attention to goods and services advertising the issue statewide with messages on television and radio and in the newspapers," Moffat said. Even though the legal consequences of drinking and driving are well known, alcohol-related fatalities are on the rise for the third year in a row with the highest number of impaired-driving fatalities occurring during the summer. Nationwide, alcohol-related crashes killed 17,970 people in 2002, the most fatalities since 1992. Every 22 minutes, someone will die in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Experts claim everyone has a 40 percent chance of being in a crash involving alcohol use sometime in their life. Tips for Designated Drivers, Hosts and Friends Realizing that peer pressure and party atmospheres can be difficult for designated drivers, PEMCO Insurance created a list of tips for designated drivers, hosts, and friends. "It takes more than one person to make a designated driver," said Jon Osterberg. "Without a sincere effort from friends and hosts to welcome designated drivers and give them a comfortable atmosphere, designating driving doesn't work." How to be a Designated Driver -- Decide before going to a party who will be the designated driver, and honor that responsibility. -- Trade duties. Offer to be a DD (designated driver) if a friend will be a DD at the next party. -- Lesson the chances of creating a dour, judgmental judg·men·tal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or dependent on judgment: a judgmental error. 2. Inclined to make judgments, especially moral or personal ones: atmosphere by having fun with your DD role. It's OK to make jokes and witty comments about the fact you're literally being a lifesaver. -- Don't rely on alcohol to 'join the party.' Alcohol doesn't make a party; enjoyable conversations and good memories make a party. How to Say No to Drinking If someone offers you a drink and you're designated to drive, say: -- "Thanks, but I'm signed up to save those people's lives later tonight." -- "Thank you, that looks great, but could I have a soda instead?" -- "No thank you, but when's your next party? My friend will be a DD then. Tips for Hosts -- Prepare plenty of food. -- Offer a variety of non-alcoholic drinks. Try creating non-alcoholic cocktails with enticing names. -- Do not push drinks! Guests shouldn't need to drink to have a good time at a party. -- Stop serving alcohol one hour before the party is over. -- Keep a few pre-paid taxi vouchers to offer as an extra incentive to take a taxi. Ways to Thank Your Designated Driver -- Offer to drive sober at the next party. -- Write a thank you card, and leave it in the designated driver's car before the event begins. -- Chip in and buy him or her a thank-you dinner. PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is a Seattle-based provider of auto, home, boat, life and umbrella insurance refers to insuring more than one property as opposed to insuring only one. For example the owner might get a discount for insuring both his house and car rather than insuring them with separate policies because it might cost more. to residents of Washington state. PEMCO Insurance is sold by community agents throughout the state, as well as through PEMCO offices. For more information, visit www.pemco.com. About Belo KING 5 TV is part of Belo Corp. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :BLC BLC Boston Library Consortium BLC Bethany Lutheran College (Minnesota) BLC Back Light Compensation (video cameras) BLC Belo Corporation (stock symbol) BLC Broadband Loop Carrier ). Belo is one of the nation's largest media companies with a diversified group of market-leading television, newspaper, cable and interactive media assets. A Fortune 1000 company with approximately 7,800 employees and $1.4 billion in annual revenues, Belo operates news and information franchises in some of America's most dynamic markets and regions, including Texas, the Northwest, the Southwest, Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. , and the Mid-Atlantic region. Based in Dallas, Belo owns 19 television stations (six in the top 16 markets) reaching 13.7 percent of U.S. television households; owns or operates nine cable news channels; and manages one television station through a local marketing agreement. Belo publishes four daily newspapers: The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) and the Denton Record-Chronicle The Denton Record-Chronicle is the official newspaper for the city of Denton, Texas and Denton County since 1899. William Edwards consolidated the Denton Chronicle (1882) and the Denton County Record (1898), as a weekly newspaper. (Denton, TX). Belo Interactive's new media businesses include 34 Web sites, several interactive alliances, and a broad range of Internet-based products. Additional information, including earnings releases, is available online at www.belo.com. About MADD Washington Our Web site is MADDWashington.org, our local Web site is MADDkingco@yahoo.com, our national Web site is MADD.org. I strongly urge everyone to go to the websites, get involved and help fight the most committed violent crime in America and that is Drinking and Driving -- Karen Minahan, president of MADD Washington. About Washington Traffic Safety Commission The Washington Traffic Safety Commission is a state agency based in Olympia dedicated to the task of reducing roadway collisions and deaths. |
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