EDITORIAL SOBERING STATISTICS.FOR all this season's joys and festivities fes·tiv·i·tyn. 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. , a little too much holiday cheer can prove lethal behind the wheel of a car. For too many families each year, Christmas or New Year's Eve becomes tragic instead of joyous after a loved one is killed or seriously injured Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) is a standard metric for safety policy, particularly in transportation and road safety. As the name implies it is the total figure for people killed or seriously injured over a period of time. by a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It doesn't need to be that way. With a little bit of forethought fore·thought n. 1. Deliberation, consideration, or planning beforehand. 2. Preparation or thought for the future. See Synonyms at prudence. , consideration and responsibility, alcohol-related traffic deaths are entirely preventable. The evidence is in the numbers. Ever since groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization with more than 600 chapters nationwide. MADD seeks to find effective solutions to the problems of drunk driving and underage drinking, while also supporting those persons whose relatives and friends have been killed by drunk made a concerted effort to raise awareness and push for more stringent laws against drunk driving, the number of accidents and fatalities linked to alcohol has steadily decreased. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, part of the Department of Transportation. , the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths has fallen by 50 percent in the last 20 years. In California, the rates have similarly decreased, from 1.65 deaths per 100 million miles driven in 1982 to .5 last year. In total, thousands of lives have been saved, and thousands of families have been spared the worst sort of grief imaginable. Unfortunately, the recent numbers are disturbing. Over the past five years, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have nearly doubled in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and the rest of L.A. They are also rising statewide. The time to reverse this ugly trend is now. Local law enforcement is doing its part this holiday season, with the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . and the California Highway Patrol
stepping up patrols and increasing the number of sobriety checkpoints.
But police are too few and far between to bear the load themselves. Ultimately, we must each do our own part. It's pretty simple, actually: If you've had too much to drink, don't drive. If your friend's had too much to drink, take away the car keys. And if you want to be the life of the party, volunteer your services as a designated driver. The life you might save will be the most precious holiday gift you'll ever give. |
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