Editorial: Don’t become a statistic this holiday season
Published 8:00 am Sunday, December 25, 2016
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are among the top holidays with the highest percentage of drunken driving-related fatalities in Minnesota.
From 2006 through 2015, there were 3,834 DWI arrests and 11 drunken driving-related fatalities for the Christmas holiday, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
We encourage drivers not to add to these statistics this holiday season.
Though Christmas falls on a weekend this year — which might appear to be an open invitation for some to do more drinking — we encourage people to be responsible and prevent drunken driving by using the following tips:
—Plan for a safe ride.
—Designate a sober driver.
—Use a cab or public transportation or stay at the location of the celebration.
—Offer to be a designated driver or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere.
—Wear your seat belt.
—Report drunken driving. Call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior.
Be prepared to provide a location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior.
All it can take is one poor choice.