E.R. doctor says winter holidays create 'perfect storm' for drunk-driving accidents
Death or injury from an alcohol-related accident can happen year-round, but the winter holidays can be especially dangerous.
As chairman of Advocate Condell's Department of Emergency Medicine, William Maloney, M.D., has seen firsthand, the devastating effects of driving under the influence. He notes four threatening seasonal factors.
“The winter holidays are like a perfect storm,” Maloney said. “First, there are more parties and social gatherings with opportunities to drink. Second, they are usually at night, when there is reduced visibility. Third, snow and ice make road conditions more dangerous than normal. And fourth, you add the effects of alcohol, which reduces reflex time and impairs judgment.
Education and anti-drunk driving activism have helped reduce the number drunk drivers but there are miles to go.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some sobering statistics. Though episodes of drinking and driving have gone down, it remains a serious problem. Alcohol-impaired drivers are involved in about 1 in 3 crash deaths, resulting in nearly 11,000 deaths, according to the CDC's most recent statistics. American drivers got behind the wheel after drinking too much about 112 million times in 2010.
Maloney said the effort to convince people not to drink and drive must continue unabated.
“While we recognize that these days there is a much greater awareness of the perils of drunk driving, we unfortunately still see patients who have been driving after drinking, and innocent victims of those driving after drinking,” he said.
It may be unrealistic to imagine universal abstinence, so Maloney says people should act intelligently and responsibly when it comes to drinking alcohol and driving.
“Don't allow yourself to get behind the wheel even if you have what seems to be a short trip across town or even if you only had one or two drinks,” Maloney said. “Everyone metabolizes alcohol differently. Sometimes one drink, or even trying to drive a few blocks home, is too much.”