A holiday campaign aims to encourage people who consume alcohol or other impairing substances not to drive unless they are sober.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and its federal, state, and private-sector partners are sponsoring the campaign.
“The uptick in multi-substance impaired driving is not only troubling but also frustrating because it is preventable,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said. “That’s why GHSA remains committed to working with our state and organizational partners to support initiatives that prevent alcohol- and drug-impaired driving.”
A total of 56 percent of seriously or fatally injured road users tested positive for alcohol or some type of impairing substance, according to a new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of trauma center data. The study examined the pervasiveness of alcohol and drug use in serious and fatal crashes involving drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
The agency found that cannabis was involved 25 percent of the time. Two or more drugs were found in 32 percent of the fatalities and 18 percent of serious injuries.
The agency highlighted the coordinated efforts nationwide that combat alcohol- and drug-impaired driving during this holiday season. One of the efforts was GHSA’s partnership with Lyft and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility to provide grants to State Highway Safety Offices supporting alternative transportation options for alcohol- and drug-impaired revelers.