Letter-to-the-Editor – Binge Drinking Prevention

St. Patrick’s Day can be one of the deadliest holidays due to the number of drunk drivers on the road. Nationwide, 60 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the 2016 St. Patrick’s Day holiday. During that same period, 39 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities involved drunk drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

If you are consuming alcohol at any time of the year, the Drug-free Communities Action Team to Prevent Binge Drinking reminds you to always plan ahead and use these helpful suggestions to keep you safe.

Make sure you eat well and stay hydrated throughout the day. An effective tip is to eat food with protein and fat before and during drinking. It also helps to alternate a non-alcoholic beverage, such as water, with any alcoholic drinks you consume. Eating and drinking water also can decrease the likelihood you’ll have a hangover.

If you know you will be drinking, plan for a sober driver to take you home. If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take the role seriously—your friends and other drivers are depending on you.

Even if you’ve only had one alcoholic beverage, plan to use an alternate method of transportation to get home safely — download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app to your smart phone. SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or predetermined friend and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.

We want our community members to plan ahead anytime that they know they will be drinking alcohol, and to not get behind the wheel. Whether you are driving yourself or your friends, make sure you stay sober or plan for a sober ride home. There are too many safe alternatives to choose otherwise. Think before you act.

St. Patrick’s Day should be fun and festive. Remember it’s never okay to drink and drive.  And if you see a drunk driver on the road, contact police immediately by calling 911.

Brenda Sisler
Prevention Coordinator
Garrett County Health Department

Contact Person: Diane Lee, PIO, 301-334-7689