Dangerous Roads Make Fourth of July a Deadly Holiday, Local Organizations Warn; Alcohol-Related Crashes Cause Nearly 40 Percent of Deaths

Business Wire, July 3, 2003

City Desks

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2003

Local Organizations Promote Awareness,

Give Tips on Designated Driving

The Fourth of July has become Washington's deadliest holiday, with more fatal crashes than any other holiday and nearly 40 percent of those crashes involving a drunk driver. This year, concerned organizations and PEMCO Insurance ask drivers to treat Independence Day as one of the most dangerous times to be on the road, and the most important time to use a designated driver.

"Make a promise now, before the festivities begin, not to drink and drive," said Jon Osterberg, spokesperson for PEMCO Insurance, which helped organize the designated driver awareness campaign. "Ask a sober friend to drive, take a cab, stay at the party -- just don't take the risk of ruining your life and the lives of others."

From 1991 to 2001, fatal automobile wrecks during the Fourth of July holiday killed 102 people in Washington. In comparison, New Year's holiday fatalities in Washington totaled only 57 during the same period, while Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend each had 93 fatalities, according to statistics from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC).

Alcohol use played a significant role in the Fourth of July fatalities, with nearly 40 percent involving a driver who had been drinking.

                Holiday Fatalities in Washington State

          1991-2001    Holiday         Persons     Deaths per 24
                        Hours          Killed          Hours

           New Years     810             57            1.69
        Memorial Day     858             93            2.60
         4th of July     858            102            2.85
           Labor Day     858             93            2.60
        Thanksgiving    1,122            95            2.03
           Christmas     834             66            1.90

           Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System, WTSC

"If you're going to be drinking on the Fourth, driving yourself home is simply not an option," said Karen Minahan, president of Mother's Against Drunk Driving Washington (MADD Washington). "We have got to stop this insanity so that others will not suffer my same fate -- or worse."

Six years ago, after helping her son load DJ equipment and small boxes into the back of a van after the Puyallup School District 9th grade prom at the Puyallup Fair Grounds, Karen was struck three times by an impaired driver (.26 BAC, doing 35-40 mph), and almost struck a fourth time before the person who was in charge of the facility pulled the keys out of the ignition. Karen was not given any hopes of survival, spent a month in a coma, three months total in Harborview, and as a result lost her right leg above the knee. She has had 28 surgeries to date and has two more to go.

Local Businesses and Organizations Join Together to Promote Designated Drivers

PEMCO Insurance, WTSC and MADD Washington are part of a group of local businesses and organizations campaigning for increased awareness of DUI dangers during the Fourth of July weekend. The WTSC, PEMCO Insurance and BELO Corp, owners of KING-TV, KONG-TV and Northwest Cable News, are sponsoring an ad campaign during the Fourth of July weekend encouraging designated driving.

Speakers from the Washington State Patrol, the DUI Victims Panel, MADD Washington, WTSC and PEMCO Insurance will hold a public presentation on July 3 to promote designated driving and other DUI prevention methods.

WTSC also is sponsoring a statewide crackdown on drunk driving over the summer months by funding extra DUI enforcement patrols. The first wave of the enforcement activity is scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend.

"Some people think drunk driving was a problem that we solved in the 1980s, but the number of drunk driving deaths in Washington each year continues to be staggering," said John Moffat, WTSC Director.

The best approach to the problem involves the work of law enforcement and the media. "We are scheduling extra patrols and paying for them with overtime funding, and we are publicizing the issue statewide with messages on television and radio and in the newspapers," Moffat said.

Even though the legal consequences of drinking and driving are well known, alcohol-related fatalities are on the rise for the third year in a row with the highest number of impaired-driving fatalities occurring during the summer.

Nationwide, alcohol-related crashes killed 17,970 people in 2002, the most fatalities since 1992. Every 22 minutes, someone will die in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Experts claim everyone has a 40 percent chance of being in a crash involving alcohol use sometime in their life.

Tips for Designated Drivers, Hosts and Friends

Realizing that peer pressure and party atmospheres can be difficult for designated drivers, PEMCO Insurance created a list of tips for designated drivers, hosts, and friends.

"It takes more than one person to make a designated driver," said Jon Osterberg. "Without a sincere effort from friends and hosts to welcome designated drivers and give them a comfortable atmosphere, designating driving doesn't work."