{"id":9927,"date":"2016-12-28T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=9927"},"modified":"2016-12-28T09:57:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T14:57:00","slug":"aaa-new-years-day-among-deadliest-for-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=9927","title":{"rendered":"AAA: New Year&#8217;s Day among deadliest for drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Carcrash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2820\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Carcrash-260x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>As Philadelphia-area residents prepare for New Year\u2019s celebrations, AAA Mid-Atlantic is reminding drivers and passengers alike of the dangers on the roads this New Year\u2019s Day, which consistently ranks among the year\u2019s deadliest days for alcohol-related traffic fatalities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cAccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 10,265 people died in drunk driving crashes in 2015, which is an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 51 minutes,\u201d says Jana L. Tidwell, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. \u201cWith people celebrating the New Year and then getting behind the wheel after a night of drinking, January 1 is a particularly dangerous day on the roads.\u00a0 Even one death is far too many to be lost from a completely preventable crime.\u201d<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s2\">Sobering Drunk Driving Facts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">During the New Year\u2019s holiday period (6 p.m. December 31, 2014 \u2013 5:59 a.m. January 5, 2015) the nation lost 31 lives per day in drunk driving crashes\u2014a total of 139 deaths over 4.5 days. (NHTSA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">In 2015, there were 10,265 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drivers with BACs of .08 g\/dL or higher. This totaled 29 per\u00adcent of all traffic fatalities for the year. (NHTSA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Of the traffic fatalities among children 14 and younger in 2015, 16 percent occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. (NHTSA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">In 2015, the 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage (28%) of drivers with BACs of .08 g\/dL or higher in fatal crashes com\u00adpared to other age groups. (NHTSA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Pennsylvania State Police responded to 404 crashes (52 of which were alcohol related), 2 fatalities and 309 DUI arrests between December 31, 2015 and January 2, 2016.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cAAA Mid-Atlantic urges travelers to be cautious about their safety and the safety of everyone sharing the roadways,\u201d said Tidwell. \u201cNinety-seven percent of licensed drivers consider it unacceptable to drive when they may have had too much to drink, yet there is an average of one alcohol-impaired driving death every 51\u00a0minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Responsible Behavior<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">To strengthen efforts to protect the public against drunk drivers and reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths, AAA Mid-Atlantic is offering important safety advice to New Year\u2019s Eve partygoers:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Always plan ahead to designate a non-drinking driver before any party or celebration begins.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Never get behind the wheel of a car when you\u2019ve been drinking alcohol \u2013 even after just one drink.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Never ride as a passenger in a car driven by someone who has been drinking alcohol \u2013 even after just one drink.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Do not hesitate to take the keys from friends or family members who may be impaired.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Use mass transit or call a taxi. Put numbers for local cab companies in your phone before heading out for the evening.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Be a responsible host in reminding guests to stay safe and always offer alcohol-free beverages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you encounter an impaired driver on the road, keep a safe distance and ask a passenger to call 911 (or pull over to a safe location to make the call yourself).<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Remember: prescription, over-the-counter medications and illegal drugs also can impair your ability to drive safely.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Visit\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/aaamidatlantic.pr-optout.com\/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8.74%3f4-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4253139&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=117742&amp;Action=Follow+Link\"><span class=\"s3\">PreventDUI.AAA.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for impaired driving facts, transportation alternatives and expert advice. \u00a0AAA encourages visitors to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/aaamidatlantic.pr-optout.com\/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8.74%3f4-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4253139&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=117741&amp;Action=Follow+Link\"><span class=\"s3\">Take the Pledge<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to drive drug and alcohol-free.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Philadelphia-area residents prepare for New Year\u2019s celebrations, AAA Mid-Atlantic is reminding drivers and passengers alike of the dangers on the roads this New Year\u2019s Day, which consistently ranks among the year\u2019s deadliest days for alcohol-related traffic fatalities. \u201cAccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 10,265 people died in drunk driving crashes in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5129,2469,1600,3162,3803],"class_list":["post-9927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-aaa","tag-crashes","tag-dui","tag-featured","tag-new-years-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9927"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9934,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9927\/revisions\/9934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}