Safety campaign targets 'buzzed' driving over holiday

This Independence Day, the Acadiana Regional Transportation Safety Coalition and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration want to remind drivers that “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.”
However your celebrations may look this year, make sure you celebrate the birth of our nation safely.
If you are under the influence of alcohol and you choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you put everyone on the road in danger, including yourself. During the Fourth of July holiday, make sure you plan ahead for a safe weekend of festivities.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,142 people were killed in 2019 motor vehicle crashes that involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
With Fourth of July festivities wrapping up in the evening or late at night, more cars will be on the roads at night.
In 2019, 515 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes over the July 4th holiday period (6 p.m. July 3 to 5:59 a.m. July 8). Thirty-eight percent (198) of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.
“We want our community to have a happy and safe Independence Day, one that they’ll remember for years to come, for all the right reasons,” said Ron Czajkowski, ARTSC safety coordinator. “We’ve partnered with NHTSA to help remind drivers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
"Under no circumstance is it ever OK to drink and drive. This behavior is illegal, it’s deadly, and it’s selfish. Do everyone in your community a favor: If you’ll be drinking at a Fourth of July party, or for any occasion, plan ahead for a sober ride. Make this your plan for any day you are drinking.”
From 2015 to 2019, there were 1,339 people killed in drunk-driving crashes over the 4th of July holiday period.
Thirty-eight percent (512) of the drivers killed were alcohol-impaired (BAC of .08+). During the 2019 July 4th holiday period, 69% of those who died in alcohol-impaired crashes were in a crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above .15.
Nighttime hours are especially dangerous: Over the 2019 July 4th holiday period, of the 198 people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, almost 4 out of 5 (79%) of them occurred in nighttime crashes (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.).