Don’t drink and drive (really!)

You would hope that by now it wouldn’t be necessary to warn about the dangers and foolishness of driving while drunk. But years of statistics exist about the high number of traffic deaths attributable to DUI, especially around the holidays.

For instance, according to Mothers Against Drug Driving, alcohol-related traffic incidents killed 179 people in Maryland in 2007. Alcohol is to blame in about 29 percent of Maryland’s traffic deaths.

President Obama proclaimed December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. And MADD calls December “3-D Month,” shorthand for Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Month – after all, what used to be called Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is now Driving Under the Influence, to include the effects of drugs.

As the Carroll County Times reported, blood samples taken from drivers by all Maryland police departments will now be tested at the State Police lab in Pikesville instead of sent out of state to labs that were reluctant to let staff members come to Maryland to testify. This could make prosecuting faster and cheaper.

Police are on the lookout for anyone and everyone. According to the Associated Press, a man was arrested Sunday night in central Pennsylvania when an off-duty police officer noticed him, slumped and asleep, in his buggy, which a horse was pulling down the middle of a road. The 22-year-old’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

A multi-jurisdictional task force in Montgomery County is “aggressively looking for drivers under the influence and going to take some off the road,” a Gaithersburg police officer told The Gazette.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office suggests taking these steps to prevent tragedy:

* If you are planning to drink alcohol with friends, designate a sober driver before going out — and give that person your keys.
* If you are impaired, do not drive — instead, call a taxi, use mass transit, or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
* Promptly report impaired drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement.
* Wear your seat belt while in a car or use a helmet and protective gear when on a motorcycle. These are your best defenses against an impaired driver.
* If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them get to where they are going safely.

While we’re driving to and from parties and otherwise enjoying the holidays, law enforcement officers will be on the roads, looking for dangerous drivers and other hazards. With this in mind, MADD Maryland is showing its appreciation through its fourth annual COOKIES FOR COPS campaign, which includes delivering cookies to every law enforcement agency in the state through New Year’s Eve.

If you would like to help by baking and delivering cookies, or doing other work, you can volunteer by calling Alicia Di Folco Zahn at 410-964-5757 or writing to MADD at 10440 Shaker Drive, #207, Columbia, MD 21046.