Think You Know Impaired Driving? The Facts Might Surprise You This Holiday Season
Holiday Truths: Debunking Myths and Misconceptions about Impaired Driving
By Khushi Chhaya, Intern
National District Attorneys Association
As the holiday season gets underway, it’s important to pause and recognize the many risks and harms associated with drunk and drugged driving. December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, providing space for us all to reflect on the importance of taking responsible actions to minimize the risk of us or our loved ones being involved in an impaired driving crash.
Impaired driving remains a significant and unfortunately common threat, especially during the December holiday season. Misinformation about its risks and effects is widespread, contributing to the ongoing prevalence of this dangerous behavior. Tragically, December nights are among the most fatal for impaired driving crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data indicates that in December 2022, over 31% of drivers involved in fatal crashes between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. were intoxicated. The FARS data also indicated that nearly half of drivers involved in fatal crashes between midnight and 3 a.m. were intoxicated. The same data showed that nearly half of drivers involved in fatal crashes between midnight and 3 a.m. were intoxicated.[i]
Despite its frequency, myths and misconceptions about impaired driving persist, leading many to underestimate its dangers. Let’s dispel some of the most common myths about drunk and drugged driving with the facts.
MYTH: Alcohol is the only substance that can impair driving.
FACT: Alcohol is only one of many substances that can impair someone’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. There are many legal and illegal drugs that may impair a driver in different ways. Even prescription and over-the-counter medications can be dangerous. Most medications will include warnings on their labels, such as to avoid operating heavy machinery, which includes driving.
MYTH: You have to be drunk to be an impaired driver.
FACT: Being under the influence of any substance to any degree impairs judgment, muscle coordination, and control over the vehicle. Feeling buzzed after a few drinks can result in just as bad a crash as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit. The 0.08 g/dL legal limit for BAC simply represents the threshold after which the risk of causing a crash becomes exponentially more likely. In 2022, 2,337 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents where a driver had a BAC between 0.01 g/dL and 0.07g/dL. This is why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign emphasizes that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”
MYTH: Driving under the influence is fine, so long as you are careful and don’t get caught.
FACT: Driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances poses immediate risks to the driver and others on the road. Reaching a destination safely one time does not ensure that the next instance will end the same way. No one is immune from the impairing effects of alcohol, and drugged and drunk driving not only affects the intoxicated driver but the drivers and passengers of every other vehicle as well.
Myth: There is nothing that can be done about impaired drivers. They are simply a fact of life.
FACT: Driving impaired and the resulting fatalities have become normalized for some people and communities. The reality is quite the opposite. All impaired driving-related deaths are 100% preventable. Collectively making responsible choices when consuming alcohol and other substances and choosing not to get behind the wheel makes the roads safer for everyone.
The risks associated with impaired driving are an unfortunate reality that has forever changed the lives of many people. This December, let’s work to support each other, make informed decisions, and continue to spread awareness and education about the harms of impaired driving. Together, we can work toward a safer future.
About the National Traffic Law Center:
The National District Attorneys Association’s National Traffic Law Center (NTLC) is a resource designed to benefit prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, and others in the justice system. The mission of NTLC is to improve the quality of justice in traffic safety adjudications by increasing the awareness of highway safety issues through the compilation, creation, and dissemination of legal and technical information, and by providing training and reference services.
[i] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, U.S. Dep’t of Transp., https://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx