Fight Drunk Driving
How to stop a drunk driver
Let’s say it’s late Friday night. You’re walking past a popular bar in town, and see 3 or 4 guys, clearly drunk, leaving the bar and heading towards the parking lot. As you watch, they head towards a car, clearly intending to drive home. What do you do?
Or let’s say you’re driving down the highway, Saturday afternoon. For the past couple minutes, you’ve been seeing a car ahead of you swerve slightly in his lane. The car seems to be swerving more and more. The driver is clearly not fit to drive, and yet he’s on the road. What do you do?
Don’t try to intervene. Just call 911.
A recent article in Omaha World-Herald featured a man who reported a drunk driver to the police, but wished that he had done more later, after the driver crashed. But had he done so, he would have put himself and others in danger.
You should make every attempt to keep a friend from getting behind the wheel, but it’s risky to try and stop somebody you don’t know. Don’t try to physically stop them, just call the police, giving them the license plate number and a description of the vehicle. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way in trying to keep them off the road.
Same for vehicles on the road. Call 911 and give them a description. Maintain a safe distance behind the driver. There’s very little you can do to safely get him off the road, so leave it for the police.
Thoughts? Things you’d add? Drop us an e-mail at info@centurycouncil.org
TIRF releases alcohol interlock study
We're very happy to announce the publication of “The Implementation of Alcohol Interlocks for First Offenders: A Case Study.”
This case study, written by Traffic Injury Research Foundation and commissioned by The Century Council, focuses on jurisdictions that have used alcohol interlocks to combat drunk driving. The purpose of this case study was to gain insight into how legislation is translated into operational practices, and to provide guidance to other jurisdictions using the knowledge that has been gained to inform decision-making.
Check out the executive summary of the case study, or the full report.
Redemption?
Those of you looking for a fascinating afternoon read, check out this story about Jeffrey Perrotte and Jilly Rizzo from the Los Angeles Times.
Jeffrey Perrotte was a frequent DUI offender, about to get married.
Jilly Rizzo was the best friend, confidant and occasional bodyguard of Frank Sinatra, the legendary Las Vegas crooner. His nightclub ‘Rizzo’s’ was a favorite haunt of Sinatra's.
Jeffrey Perrotte is the man responsible for killing him. He took Rizzo’s life by driving drunk and then fled the scene, leaving Rizzo burning alive in the remains of his car.
That was 1992. Today, still in prison, Jeffrey Perrotte claims to be a changed man. He has stopped drinking, acquired three degrees via correspondence courses, and wants to help people stay away from the path he chose. However the friends of Jilly Rizzo (principally among them, Nancy Sinatra) want to see him locked away still.
We urge you to check out the story, and consider the issues therein.
What will you be doing this 4th of July? Check out our newest interactive eCard!
A number of things can happen this 4th of July weekend. What will you be doing?
Watching fireworks?
Baking pies?
Taking trips?
Watching movies?
While you enjoy these fun activities, 212 Americans will be killed in drunk driving crashes over the course of the weekend.
The bottom line: You can do a lot of things over the July 4th holiday weekend. But drunk driving should not be one of them.
View our new interactive July 4th eCard to learn more about all of the things that could be done over the course of the weekend.
From all of us at The Century Council, have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.
SoberRide rides again!
One local program we’re very proud to support is SoberRide. SoberRide offers free cabs to everyone in the Washington DC Metro Area on some of the most dangerous weekends of the year for traffic. By doing so, Sober Ride helps keep those who’ve had too much to drink from getting behind the wheel and getting them home safely.
Funding for SoberRide has been lower this year, to the point where it was in danger of being cancelled for the July 4th weekend. Thankfully, many of SoberRide’s private sponsors joined The Century Council in generously donating to keep the program alive. As a result, Washington DC is going to a much safer place this holiday weekend.
SoberRide is run by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), a public-private coalition to promote healthy, safe choices regarding alcohol in the Washington DC metro area.
To use SoberRide this weekend, just call 1-800 200-TAXI. You must be 21 years or older to use the service.
Teaching from a terrible experience
Carolyn Hanig experienced one of the worst things that a mother can imagine. As an air nurse, she was unwittingly called to the scene of her own son’s accident, and had to watch as he struggled in vain for his own life.
Ever since then, Hanig has been speaking at events, conferences and to news organizations about the importance of teaching kids to buckle up and drive safely. Her work helped make Oklahoma one of the first few states to enact legislation mandating seatbelts.
However, education is just as important as law in efforts to encourage road safety and fight drunk driving. That’s why we’re glad to see people like Carolyn Hanig participate in events to educate kids to the perils of drunk driving and underage drinking. Through proper legislation and aggressive education, we can help ensure that fewer moms have to go through what Carolyn Hanig did.