Acting to prevent impaired driving is heroic

For many of us, the holidays mean coming home. With all the joys of being reunited with family and friends, you might also be figuring out how to avoid certain topics of conversation with people you love but don’t always agree with. It’s okay if you change the subject when Uncle Ron starts telling you about his most recent alien encounter, but one topic that can’t be ignored if it shows up is impaired driving.

If you’re at a gathering where someone intends to drive impaired, the greatest gift you can give them this holiday season is an alternative to driving. Impaired drivers make up a small portion of drivers on our roads (in a Washington study of nighttime drivers, only two percent of drivers had a BAC over .05), but impaired driving was a factor in 60 percent of all traffic fatalities last year.

Most of us agree that it’s unacceptable to drive impaired by alcohol or other drugs, and most of us, when in a situation to intervene, take action to prevent impaired driving. That might look like giving someone a ride, ordering a cab or rideshare, letting them sleep on your couch, or even calling 911 if your offers go unaccepted. It might feel uncomfortable to come between an impaired friend and their car, but it’s a heroic act that can save lives. And we can always use more heroes.

Wishing you, and your loved ones, a truly joyous holiday season.

Alison Mitchell

Region 15 Target Zero

Manager

Grant, Adams, Lincoln, & Ferry Counties