December 09, 2012
Kansas City on the look out for DUIs
Kansas City area police officers are keeping an eye out for drunk drivers this holiday season. You may notice more police cruisers out and about on highways and highly-trafficked streets this week leading up to the New Year.
Missouri launched the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign on December 10th and is keeping it going until December 16th. However, they will also be out in full force next week, as well, as we get closer to Christmas.
According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, 67 people died and 456 were seriously injured in Missouri traffic crashes in December of last year. Seventeen of those fatalities and 69 of serious injuries involved an impaired driver. In the United States, 25 people die on average per day in the month of December due to a drunk driver.
“Drinking and driving is never a good combination. It’s just not worth the risk,” says Leanna Depue, executive chair of the coalition. “If you’re going to drink, plan another way home before the celebration begins, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.”
Some tips on safer driving this holiday season:
1) Get a designated driver – Car pool with a group of friends when you go out to eat, drink or head to a party. If you are heading to a lot of holiday parties, have a rotation of who will drive and stay sober.
2) Call a cab – By calling a cab to take you out or pick you up from the bar is a great way to avoid a DUI. If your designated driver slips up and ends up drinking too much for him to drive everyone home safely, call a cab.
3) Limit yourself to one drink – Limiting yourself to just one alcoholic beverage and allowing enough time to go by before you pick up your keys is a better idea than drinking as much as you want and risking getting a DUI.
4) Stay buckled up! – According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, 64% of people in crashes that have resulted in death were unbuckled. Even if you trust your driving, someone else may be driving drunk and could hit you. Be prepared and buckle up.
Try to avoid being part of the statistics: drive sober and drive safe. If you are involved in a drunk driving accident or you get pulled over in Missouri, contact the law offices of Dan Miller today at (816) 272-1350.