July’s Theme: Cars and Driving
It’s the start of a new month and a new theme! In July we are going to be discussing how to organize your driving and car.
According to a recent study by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, 76% of the U.S. population age 16 and older drives a car every single day. Only 12% are “nondrivers.”
The University of California Berkeley found that Americans spend approximately 101 minutes of every day in their cars. The only thing we spend more time doing is watching TV (170 minutes).
So, with all this time spent in the car, this month at Ruly we are going to look at ways to make driving fun, safe, and perhaps even share a few tips to minimize the time spent in traffic.
We will start the month with a bit of a sobering post. We are about to head into one of the busiest driving weekends in the United States for the Fourth of July holiday and unfortunately one of the more dangerous times to be on the road as well.
There were 34, 017 fatal crashes in the United States in 2008 killing 37,261 people. Holiday weekends are when a large number of fatal crashes occur with the Fourth of July weekend frequently showing the highest number of fatalities. In 2008, 491 people died in fatal vehicle crashes over the 4th of July weekend.
Driving is probably one of the most dangerous activities we undertake on a daily basis. If you are concerned about traffic safety and want to know how you can best avoid accidents, you may be interested to know that the number one cause of driving fatalities is entirely preventable!
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities accounted for almost 40% of all fatalities in 2004 and drivers taking to the roads while intoxicated is the biggest risk factor to all drivers. Most alcohol-related crashes occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Drivers age 34 and younger are the most frequent drunk driving offenders.
The law in all 50 U.S. states is that it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher. How much alcohol does it take to reach that level? According to MADD, it is roughly 4 drinks in one hour on an empty stomach for a 170 pound man and 3 drinks in one hour on an empty stomach for a 137 pound woman. How much would that mean for you? The University of Oklahoma police department has a calculator here where you can plug in your weight and the type of alcohol you consume to get an estimate of how quickly you could reach the .08 limit. I hope that you take a moment to check this calculator and find your own limit. Note that even before you hit the .08 limit, your judgment can be severely impaired.
As you head out to celebrate this weekend, please use a designated driver, know your own limits and please do not drive if there is any question about your sobriety. Many states offer free “Sober Ride” programs. You can Google “sober ride [your state]” to find a program near you. In the Washington, D.C. area, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program offers a free taxi ride home (up to $50) on July 4th from 10:00 p.m. on July 4th to 6:00 a.m. on July 5th. All you have to do is call 1-800-200-TAXI during those hours.
“A first time drunk driving offender on average has driven drunk 87 times prior to being arrested.”
I also encourage you to take 5 minutes to support an initiative sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to improve road safety. MADD supports the use of ignition interlocks for any convicted drunk drivers. The devices connect with a car’s ignition and require the driver to blow into a device to measure their blood alcohol content. (BAC) If the BAC is too high, the car won’t start. MADD has a video showing the device here:
MADD is pressing for a federal law requiring any convicted drunk driver to use an ignition interlock device. You can send a note to your Congressional representatives requesting they support this legislation through MADD’s website here.
Wishing all my readers a wonderful weekend and my U.S. readers a very safe and happy Fourth of July!