'Tis The Season To Be Jolly - But Sober On The Road: Howell Alliance

HOWELL, NJ — Throughout the month, the Friends of the Howell Alliance Facebook group page will feature weekly posts to educate our community about drunk and drugged driving prevention.

"Remember, if you feel different, you drive different. And DUI deaths are 100 percent preventable," the township organization reminds drivers.

The Howell Alliance hopes residents will share its posts during the holiday season, a time when social gatherings and parties increase.

Here is Post #1:

Drunk and drugged driving facts:

• In 2019, during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, there were 210 deaths due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA).
• More than 26 million people ages 16 and older drove under the influence or alcohol and/or illicit drugs during 2019 (17 percent of these people were 20 to 25 years old), reported SAMHSA’s 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. SAMHSA is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• In Colorado, since recreational marijuana was legalized in 2013, traffic deaths in which drivers tested positive for marijuana increased 135 percent, while all Colorado traffic deaths increased 24 percent. This equates to one person killed every 3 1/2 days in 2019 compared to one person killed every 6 1/2 days in 2013, according to Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area data.
• Many substances can impair driving, including alcohol, marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines, and even prescribed or over-the-counter medications.

The Howell Alliance recommends that drivers enlist a sober driver ahead of any festivities, use public transportation or a ride-share service, or stay where you are until you are sober to avoid tragedy on the road.