Officials remind local residents to be safe during holidays with 'Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving' program

Press release

Local officials announced this week that this holiday season, Hill County DUI Task Force and Hi-Line Tavern Association are teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind all drivers that “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” and to always plan a sober ride before the holiday parties begin.

Too many people take to the roadways after consuming alcohol because they think they are “OK to drive,” a press release issued Monday says. During the holiday season, festive parties and celebrations with alcohol contribute to the number of impaired drivers on our roadways.

“We want to keep our roads safe this holiday season and help people understand that the only time they should be behind the wheel is when they are sober,” Havre Chief of Police Gabe Matosich said in the press release. “Alcohol affects people differently, and you don’t have to be feeling or acting drunk to be too impaired to drive.”

Any consumption of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction times, making it unsafe for to drive. “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” is a nationwide impaired driving campaign to inform all Americans about the dangers of driving after drinking.

Drunk driving kills thousands of people in our country every year. In 2015, 35,092 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on our roadways, and 29 percent — 10,265 — died in crashes that involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit of .08.

This time of year is especially dangerous. In December 2015 alone, 840 people were killed in crashes involving at least one drunk driver or motorcycle operator.

“Drinking and driving should never mix, therefore we want everyone to plan a sober ride in advance if they will be celebrating the holidays with alcohol,” Matosich said in the release. “Don’t allow yourself to become a statistic because you failed to plan ahead.”

This holiday season, the Havre Police Department and the NHTSA urge people to designate a sober driver before start drinking. If people plan on drinking at all, they should plan not to drive.

People should remember these tips to avoid a DUI and to keep our roads safe:

• Even one drink can impair people’s judgment and reaction time and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk or causing a crash.

• People who will be drinking should not plan on driving. They should plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins. People can receive rewards for doing the right thing. The Hi-Line Tavern association sponsors the Designated Driver Program. If the designated sober driver identifies themselves to a bar employee, they receive free non-alcoholic drinks that night as well as a chance to win two monthly drawings of $50 and a yearly drawing of $500 in cash.

• People who have been drinking should not drive — even a short distance. They should call a taxi, a sober friend or family member, use public transportation or the Home FREE Program

• New Year’s Eve, with the support of two local businesses, Havre Ford and Triangle Communications, individuals may call 265-1700 between 5 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. and request a free ride to a drinking establishment or home from one, thus, ensuring their safe transi. Also, people can try NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, which allows users to call a taxi or a friend and identify their location so they can be picked up.

• Help others be responsible. People who see someone they think is about to drive while impaired should take their keys, take them home or help them arrange a safe ride home.

• People who see a driver on the road that appears to be intoxicated should contact police when it is safe to do so. Their actions could help save a life.

People should remember to play it safe this holiday season and always plan their sober ride before the festivities begin. Buzzed driving is drunk driving.