If your celebration includes alcoholic beverages please plan ahead for a “SOBER” designated driver…one drink is too many when it comes to driving.  Please see these new messages – “Buzzed driving IS drunk driving!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYCHpZ13l-E&NR=1

Right-click to download PDF

Right-click to download PDF

Try these non-alcoholic cocktails at your next party. Your non-drinking guests and designated drivers will thank you!

http://ots.ca.gov/Media_and_Research/Campaigns/2010_December_DUI_Crackdown/Public_Information/Non-Alcoholic_Drink_Recipes.asp

 San Diego County Law Enforcement Agencies announce “Zero Tolerance” for Motorists not using Hands-Free Devices

While today’s world enjoys the benefits of an ever increasing pool of technological devices, these benefits come at a price.  Due to the increase in the number of traffic collisions caused by drivers illegally using cell phones, San Diego County Law Enforcement agencies are joining forces on November 17, 2010 to focus enforcement efforts on this menace to the safety of the motoring public.  The San Diego, Oceanside, and El Cajon Offices of the California Highway Patrol, Carlsbad Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, Coronado Police Department, El Cajon Police Department, Escondido Police Department, National City Police Department, Oceanside Police Department, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and San Diego State University Police Departments will be aggressively seeking out drivers violating the “hands free” cell phone law.

Cell phone use has become so popular these days that many times we don’t realize when, where, and how often we are using our cellular telephones.  According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), in 2008 there were more than 30,000 parties in California involved in traffic collisions where inattention played a role.  More than 1,000 of those drivers identified a cell phone as the inattention.  Cell phones are the number one identifiable inattention stated on collision reports.   

Driving is a skill that requires your full attention to safely control your vehicle and respond to events happening on the roads around you.  According to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute distracted driving is “anything that diverts the driver’s attention away from the primary tasks of navigating a vehicle and responding to critical events.”  Although NHTSA has indicated that cell phones are the most familiar form of distraction, applying make-up, using a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), eating, drinking, changing CD’s, adjusting the radio and reading are numerous activities that can distract a driver.           

Law enforcement agencies are already working together to share knowledge and promote a greater understanding of the issue, and identify additional strategies to end distracted driving.  Distracted driving is a serious, life-threatening practice and we will not rest until we stop it.

The message is simple – There is no phone call worth a human life.

 -  Pay attention or pay the price

 - Don’t let distractions take away from your reaction

 A Press Conference will be held on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 10:30 am at the California Highway Patrol – Border Division Office (9330 Farnham Street, San Diego 92123).  All participating agencies will be present and the collected statistics will be released to the media at that time.

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Two Out of Five Drivers Admit to Falling Asleep at the Wheel, Finds AAA Foundation Study

Drowsy Drivers A Factor In Nearly 17% of Fatal Crashes

Washington, D.C. ・ Two out of every five drivers (41 percent) admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point, with one in ten saying they・ve done so in the past year, according to a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study. More than a quarter of those surveyed admitted they drove despite being so tired that they had difficulty keeping their eyes open in the previous month.

Eighty-five percent of drivers surveyed felt it was ―completely unacceptable‖for someone to drive if they are so tired they are having trouble keeping their eyes open. Unfortunately, drivers may not always be aware of the effects of fatigue resulting from a lack of sleep. In recognition of this week・s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® hosted by the National Sleep Foundation, AAA wants all drivers to recognize the seriousness of this dangerous, yet underestimated, driving practice.

―When you are behind the wheel of a car, being sleepy is very dangerous. Sleepiness decreases awareness, slows reaction time, and impairs judgment, just like drugs or alcohol, contributing to the possibility of a crash,‖said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. ―We need to change the culture so that not only will drivers recognize the dangers of driving while drowsy but will stop doing it.‖

A new analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data estimates that about one in six (16.5 percent) deadly crashes, one in eight crashes resulting in occupant hospitalization and one in fourteen crashes in which a vehicle was towed involve a driver who is drowsy. These percentages are substantially higher than most previous estimates, suggesting that the contribution of drowsy driving to motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths has not been fully appreciated.

“Many of us tend to underestimate the negative effects associated with fatigue and sleep deprivation and, conversely, overestimate our abilities to overcome them while driving,” said Kathleen Marvaso, vice president, AAA Public Affairs. “This data underscores the importance of educating drivers on the simple, yet effective steps they can take to prevent a possible tragedy. Unfortunately, too many drivers have adopted the ‘I’m tired, but I can make it・ mentality, often to their own peril or to the peril of others.”

David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, added, ―It is shocking to consider that one quarter of drivers admit to operating a vehicle in the last month in an incapacitated state.‖The National Sleep Foundation has been championing better drowsy driving awareness and education since 1991. Cloud adds, ―We applaud AAA・s work to elevate this issue for public scrutiny and action.

Take the test:  http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=drowsyquiz