Show i. i Holiday Season can Result in Increased Drinking Stress What Santa if-Santa if Were to Drink and nd Drive Drive Drive- r Diane Cashel Cash Drug Alcohol Education Director MAYBE if we carved the words I can handle it on the r k gravestones of everyone who had died in a highway crash involving alcohol and other drugs about people the lesson would be driven home Then Then again may maybe not One of the ways alcohol impairs impairs impairs im im- pairs us is to make us feel as though we are doing just fine often long after every everyone ne around us knows differently Under the 08 statute it itis is illegal for a person o over er 21 years with a blood alcohol level at or above 08 to drive or be in control of a vehicle The person is consid consid- ered to be an impaired driver The Not a Drop law states that people 21 years and under must havea have a blood alcohol level of Utah's DUI arrest trends have declined steadily since 1984 Between Between Between Be Be- tween 1989 and 1990 alone this type of arrest decreased by about 14 percent Despite these improvements improvements improvements im im- im- im DUI remains a problem problem problem lem of tragic dimensions During 1992 an estimated 60 people were killed in Utah as a result of alco alco- related hol-related accidents If a fully loaded carrying passengers traveling home for the holidays exploded at feet and we knew it was because of an impaired alcohol-impaired pilot our grief and anger would energize energizes us s to take steps to ensure such a tragedy never happened again Yet this is precisely how many people die every single week in related alcohol-related accidents in our country alone It continues to happen Is it because we as a society think we can h handle it What if Santa were to guide his sleigh impaired It doesn't matter who it is The fact is that half of Americas America's traffic deaths are al al- al cohol Lets Let's all be sober Santas this year and give the gift of life to each other this holiday season If Ifa Ifa Ifa a friend appears to be impaired by alcohol or other drugs take the keys away call a cab or offer them a ride home Dont Don't drink and drive consider making use of a designated driver Remember friends dont don't let friends drive drunk |