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The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reports that each year almost 10,000 people die on our nation\u2019s roadways as a result of impaired driving. The number of lives lost is the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing. Between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m., a life is taken every 23 minutes as a result of a drunken driving crash.<\/p>\n
The Idaho Department of Transportation, Office of Highway Safety will launch its annual safety campaign “Mobilization \u2013 Impaired Driving” on March 10 and will continue the push to raise public awareness through March 20th<\/sup>. Impaired driving crashes are those where the investigating officer has indicated that alcohol and\/or drug impairment was listed as a contributing factor in the crash. Idaho had 96 fatalities in 2013 as a result of impaired driving which represents 45% of all fatalities. The cost to Idahoans of crashes caused by driving while under the influence was approximately $750 million in 2013.<\/p>\n Alcohol impairs your ability to drive and it also impairs your judgment about whether or not you can or should be driving. All too often, people think they are okay to get behind the wheel because they are not falling down drunk. Crash studies indicate that driving while slightly impaired or with a bit of a “buzz” will cause a person to be a danger to others.<\/p>\n