By JOANN HELLMANN
Lights on for Life is a symbolic observance designed to focus attention on the impaired driving issue with people being especially vulnerable during holidays.
Just as office parties, family gatherings and friendly get-togethers go hand-in-hand with the annual festivities, often alcohol consumption is an integral part of these festivities.
That’s why the Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County, the Island County Sheriff’s Office and Island County detachment of the Washington State Patrol are joining forces this year to ask all motorists to participate in the annual “Lights on for Life” day.
Usually the third Friday in December, it falls on Dec. 18 this year and kicks off Holiday Lifesavers Weekend to recognize those injured or killed by DUI.
Washington State Patrol reported about 150 DUI arrests in the county last year with about 20-30 of those arrests by sheriff’s deputies.
While that may not seem like much, keep in mind the average impaired driver has driven under the influence 80 times before first arrest according to the Centers for Disease Control. And the FBI reports that every day in America people drive impaired over 300,000 times with fewer than 4,000 arrests.
That’s just barely over one percent.
For those who are caught, the driver’s drug of choice is usually alcohol, but at times includes impairing prescription and over the counter drugs, marijuana, medications administered to the eyes and illegal drugs.
The tragedy is, DUI collisions are 100 percent preventable yet impaired driving remains the No. 1 causing factor in serious injury and fatal crashes.
“The Washington State Patrol will do everything possible to remove impaired drivers off of our roadways to keep our citizens safe,” said Capt. Scott McCoy, Washington State Patrol District 7 commander.
The Designated Driver operates by a very simple concept: One member of a group of two or more pledges to drink only non-alcoholic beverages, and provides safe and sober transportation home for companions.
The agreement should be ironclad and put into use even if friends or relatives have had only one or two drinks. Becoming a designated driver is the only way people can be assured that there is always a driver with a 0.00 blood alcohol content; that is, no alcohol contained in the blood of the driver.
Even low levels of alcohol have been shown to reduce peripheral vision, reaction time and judgment.
We want to send a positive message to our motorists to remind them that while we’re all potential DUI victims, there are steps we can all take to prevent these all-too-preventable tragedies. IDIPIC’s impact panels are open to the public and described most often as “eye-opening.”
Visit the organization’s web site at www.idipic.org to learn more about its community service with both adults and youth.
JoAnn Hellmann is director of Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County.
