Critical Days of Summer week 4: Drinking and driving

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michelle Humann
  • 341st Missile Wing Ground Safety
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  You've heard it all before, "Don't drink and drive, plan ahead, and use a designated driver." You've read numerous articles and listened to countless safety briefings on the dangers of alcohol and its effect on your ability to drive safely. Then why does the Air Force still have numerous DUIs every year? Some people think they aren't as drunk as they really are. Others believe that calling a friend for a ride is an inconvenience. Most just don't have a plan before they go out to drink and need to get home. There are many options to get home safe after a night of drinking.

· Make a plan on how you are going to get home before you go out drinking. Have a designated driver and make sure they understand they are not to drink that night. Most bars and clubs give designated drivers free water or soda for the night.

· Call Airmen Against Drunk Driving at 731-AADD, for a free ride home. Last year Malmstrom had 14 DUIs and AADD had over 300 saves.

· Call a taxi or get a hotel room. A taxi ride can cost $20 to $50 and a hotel room is about $50 to $100. That is, however, a lot cheaper than if you get stopped for a DUI which could possibly cost you over $10,000.

· Call your supervisor or first sergeant. They probably have the offer already on the table, and sure they might give you a little flack for having to pick you up, but at least you won't get a DUI and possible legal trouble.

The following are the hard facts worth repeating about drinking and driving:

- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one person is killed every half-hour due to drunk driving, and approximately 700 more are injured in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
- Each year approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol-related crashes.
- Alcohol is a factor in half of all traffic fatalities.

If you have been drinking alcoholic beverages at all, don't drive. Once your blood alcohol concentration reaches between 0.08 to 0.10, which is over the legal limit in all states, the risk of a motor vehicle crash is about 50 times higher than when you are sober. If you don't stay off the road for your own sake, think of the potential devastation to the lives of other people on the road and to the lives of your family if you are injured or sent to prison for DUI manslaughter.