If he'd had

a particularly bad day, he would stay longer and drink more. Nevertheless,

he always drove himself home at night. This had become such a habit with

him that the man's wife thought nothing of him coming in late and falling

asleep on the couch; she was just glad to have him home.

One morning,

this gentleman was awakened from his sleep on the couch by the ear-piercing

screams of his wife. He jumped up and rushed to see what was the matter,

stopping dead in his tracks behind his wife, who was standing in the opened

front door. He stared in horror at the sight of the body of a seven-year-old

child impaled on the front grill of his car. While driving home the night

before, impaired by alcohol, he had run into the child without realizing

it.He thoughtthe time that he had just driven acrossa bump in the road.

I am still horrified at the images this story evokes as I tell it now

although more than 20 years have passed since I first heard it.

In 2000, alcohol

was involved in 40 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States.

That translates to 16,653 alcohol-related traffic deaths, or one personkilled

every 33 minutes. Additionally, an estimated 310,000 people were injured

in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present. That means

one person is injured every 2 minutes, every day in alcohol-related traffic

incidents.

In Georgia

last year there were 1,541 traffic fatalities, 37 percent (or 570) of

which were alcohol-related. Traffic fatalities among youth in this state

in 1999 numbered 231, and 65 (or 28.2 percent) of those deaths were alcohol-related.

Fully one third of all deaths among 15-20 year olds result from motor

vehicle crashes, and more than one third of these deaths involved alcohol

in 1999.

Analysis of

crashes involving youth show that teens are more likely to speed, run

red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an impaired driver, and drive

after drinking alcohol or using drugs. Another study (National Survey

of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors 1999: The Gallop Organization)

states that:

On average,

drinker-drivers consume 2.7 drinks before driving. Drinker-drivers under

age 21 consume an average of 6.3 drinks prior to driving

While those

age 16-20 make only about 1% of all drinking-driving trips, they do so

at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level three times that of legal

age drinkers.

· About

two in ten persons age 21 to 29 has ridden with a driver they thought

might have consumed too much alcohol to drive safely. The number rises

to one in four for those persons age 16 to 20.

· Of those

who rode with unsafe persons, four in ten riders decided that their drivers

were unsafe before they got into the vehicle, but still rode with them.

As drivers

who are relatively new to the road, young adults under the age of 21 are

still learning to negotiate roadways, learn the general rules of the road,

and more importantly: how to make good choices. When alcohol or drugs

is added, the mix can be deadly and the criminal repercussions severe

(DUI and underage drinking).

Whether adult

or teen, the simple fact of the matter is that driving while impaired

is dangerous and a criminal offense. Alcohol has become an accepted, even

expected fixture of holiday celebrations, sporting events, and just about

any social occasion that one can imagine. Therefore, the possibility of

an individual encountering a situation in which he or she might be tempted

to drive impaired is high.

Problems can

be easily avoided by choosing a designated driver or planning alternate

modes of transportation (i.e. Marta, cab, rent transport for a group,

have someone pick you up, stay where you are, etc.). Unfortunately, too

many people drive while impaired and cite inconvenience, pride or embarrassment

as excuses for reckless behavior. Others think that alcohol does not affect

their coordination, judgement, or ability to react.

Studies have

shown that impairment of some element involved in driving is adversely

affected at any blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.00. BAC is affected

of food consumed before drinking, medical conditions, etc.). Thus, the

answer to the question, "How much is too much?" varies widely

among individuals and situations.

It is always

best to use a designated driver, or make alternate travel arrangements

if you plan to drink. The only truly safe driving is sober driving.

Impaired driving

is a serious issue that costs our residents millions of dollars each year

in lost time, lost resources, diminished quality of life and, most importantly,

lost lives. The greatest tragedy is that deaths due to alcohol/drug related

crashes are not accidents - they are preventable. You can help keep our

roads safe and save lives (maybe even your own) by remembering:If you

drink/drug and drive, you lose.

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