While the holidays are a time of celebration and merriment, it is important to remember that December is also designated as Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that each day of the year here in the United States, around 28 individuals lose their lives in collisions where at least one driver was intoxicated. In one recent year, that annual total reached 10,142.
Picture all those empty chairs at this year’s holiday gatherings. You definitely don’t want to become another holiday statistic.
Auto agency urges motorists to exercise caution behind the wheel
AAA conducted research that indicates the use of cannabis products adversely affects the skill and judgment of motorists. Those effects are dangerously enhanced when the driver also consumed alcohol along with marijuana or another cannabis product. Since New York legalized recreational use of marijuana, there has been a 48% uptick in drivers’ positive drug tests for cannabis in less than a decade.
In fact, when drivers combine the effects of alcohol and marijuana, they are more likely to:
- Drive aggressively
- Text while driving
- Run red lights on purpose
- Exceed speed limits
Worse, many are unaware that they have exceeded the legal limits for driving and chance it anyway. You are only as safe as those in the automobiles around you
Even if you are the most responsible driver ever and would never consider drinking, drugging and driving, you still can suffer serious repercussions from collisions with other impaired drivers. If your holiday is marred by a wreck with an impaired, at-fault driver, understand your rights to seek compensation for your injuries, damages and other losses.