Even if you are buzz driving you will get pulled over in Dowagiac, Michigan
Some of you in the Michiana / Great Lakes region opened up your Xfinity dashboard to sign into your email accounts this morning and found a message from the company warning users about the dangers of driving during New Years eve and New Years day. While the warnings do indicate a level of concern for people, the statistics simply do not match up with the myth that this is the MOST dangerous day of the year for drivers.
Real New Years Driving Statistics
According to data compiled and analyzed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), forty-one percent of the deaths on the 4th [of July] and 51 percent on January 1 involved high blood alcohol concentrations. These proportions compare with 33 percent on December 25 and January 8 (days in close proximity that aren’t associated with New Year’s) and 31 percent on June 27 and July 11.
Key-Take Away:
For this reason, it does make sense for parents to consume life-saving tips to help prevent their teenagers from drinking and driving and for law enforcement officials to crack-down on DUI’s and buzz-driving during holidays like New’s Year Eve and the 4th of July. However, this is just as important as having the right tires for Winter Driving and ensuring you do not text or multitask while driving.
In fact, a separate study by Snopes.com found “days with the highest numbers of traffic fatalities were primarily Saturdays that typically fell between the beginning and end of the summer driving season (mid-June to late August) and often coincided with mid-year holidays and celebrations (Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, 4th of July), but New Year’s Day itself ranked well down the list, tied with two other days (September 15 and October 20) for 18th place. The overwhelming preponderance of high-fatality traffic days on this list also fell on Sundays.”
See the chart below for a clearer picture of the days when accidents most happen:
IMAGE SOURCE CREDIT: Snopes.com
Regardless of New Years Statistics Be a Defensive Driver Always
Speaking of Sundays … Bowl games and the Super Bowl are on the minds of many football fans. So while you are analyzing whether the Detroit Lions, or Indianapolis Colts, or Dallas Cowboys have a chance to go all the way, here’s a little food for thought:
Just as having a solid defensive strategy can help teams get to the Super Bowl—in fact, some say it wins championships—an defensive driving strategy can also help you stay safe when you’re behind the wheel. Don’t believe us, just ask Flo.
Therefore, just be careful and drive sober or better yet give the gift of being a designated drive.
Need more tips, or need to ensure you have the right insurance protective in case of an accident on New Years? Or do you need some good fuel injectors review, if you do please check out fuelinjectorguru.com