Column: Buzzed driving is drunk driving

By Rich Jespersen

HELP Committee

Drunken driving has become a national epidemic. Each year, drunken-driving crashes kill more than 10,000 people in America. The Hill County DUI Task Force is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this holiday season to reach out to all drivers with an important message about this deadly, preventable crime because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

Let’s say you go to a holiday party, you stay a few hours and have a few drinks. When it’s time to go, you think to yourself, “I’m fine to drive. I’ve only had a few drinks, and I barely feel buzzed.” You get in your car and drive toward home. This act places you at risk of facing the consequences of drunk driving. Buzzed driving places you and others on the road in danger of a crash; or worse, death.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too realistic. In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunken-driving crashes. Many people wrongly believe there’s a magic number of drinks or hours that determine your blood alcohol concentration. But it’s different for every person. Many factors go into the effect alcohol has on your body. A major misconception is that you have to be stumbling around drunk to have a high BAC. For many people, it doesn’t take much alcohol to be impaired for driving. The Hill County DUI Task Force is hoping to change the way people think about drinking and driving, and help everyone realize that there’s no safe amount of alcohol for any driver.

Drivers convicted of DUI have many excuses, but the reality they all have in common is this: they didn’t plan ahead. Designating a sober driver ahead of time is the only fool-proof way to avoid the dangers of drunken driving. If you wait until you’ve been drinking to gauge your level of impairment, it’s already too late. You might tell yourself and others that you’re “OK to drive” when you’re not. Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time enough to cause you to overestimate your own abilities as a driver.

Drunken driving is never the right choice, no matter what. Even if you didn’t plan ahead, there’s always another way home. You could call a friend or family member to pick you up, use public transportation, or call a taxi. Designate a sober driver. Or on New Year’s Eve this year, call 265-1700 for a free and safe ride, sponsored by Havre Ford, the Hi-line Tavern Association, the Hill County DUI Task Force, Triangle Communications, New Media Broadcasters, the Havre Daily News and the HELP Committee.

So next time you’re going to drink, do us all a favor and make a plan to not drive. Some simple ideas: leave your keys at home or give them to a friend; designate a sober driver who isn’t drinking at all; tell others your intentions about driving and stick to the plan; and most importantly — once you’ve had anything to drink, do not drive. Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, so make the choice: Are you drinking tonight or are you driving?

Please remember to stay safe by driving sober or by designating a sober driver.