Make a plan this holiday season, don’t drive impaired

Every 45 minutes, one person is killed in a crash involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

In 2020, 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers, accounting for 30% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

These Center for Disease Control statistics do not include drug-related accidents because of a lack of sufficient studies involving drug-impaired drivers.

One study conducted at seven different trauma centers of the 4,243 drivers who were seriously injured in crashes found that 54% of drivers tested positive for alcohol and drugs or both between September 2019 and July 2021.

Of the 4,243 drivers, 22% were positive for alcohol, 25% were positive for marijuana, 9% were positive for opioids, 10% were positive for stimulants, and 8% were positive for sedatives.

The statistics don’t get much better for Native Americans.

Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people have the highest alcohol-impaired driving death rates, 2 to 11 times higher than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

To raise awareness for impaired driving, December has been designated as National Impaired Driving Month to reduce the number of avoidable traffic deaths.

The Choctaw Nation is also doing its part to contribute to the prevention of these deaths in the form of drunk or drug-simulated goggles that are taken to different places around the reservation.

Kelsea Johnson with Choctaw Nation Behavioral Health says they use four different goggles to simulate various levels of impairment.

The four levels are alcohol blood level above the legal limit, impairment under the influence of marijuana, near opioid overdose and finally, one that simulates the effects of being under the influence of Molly, LSD and ecstasy.

“The lenses have shapes and color alterations. As they put them on, we have a description given to us by Drunk Busters that gives them the simulation of what they should be feeling after they wear them,” said Johnson. “That will mimic what they feel when under the influence.”

Johnson takes the goggles to places like Carl Albert College and the Talihina Boys and Girls Club to give the young adults and kids an idea of what it’s like to be impaired.

Safe driving requires focus, coordination, good judgment and quick reactions to the environment. Johnson demonstrates this to goggle wearers.

When the goggles are put on, they’re given real-life scenarios they may face while impaired. One is a pedal cart with cones and a course taped out on a gymnasium floor. Or finding keys that were in a bowl but knocked to the floor.

Johnson says she often hears comments like “This is wild” or “This did not make me feel good.” A common one is for the wearers to get nauseous after wearing them and be in disbelief that anybody does this.

“Their reaction says I will never do this; this is scary; what if I’m actually in a car and this happens,” said Johnson.

It’s not just them as drivers but also as passengers and friends of people who may be impaired.

According to the CDC, passengers of alcohol-impaired drivers, occupants of another vehicle or people such as pedestrians accounted for 38% of the deaths in 2020.

Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicated that the estimated number of U.S. residents ages 16 years and older who drove under the influence in the past year was: 18.5 million for alcohol (7.2% of respondents ages 16 years and older), 11.7 million for marijuana (4.5% of respondents ages 16 years and older), and 2.4 million for illicit drugs other than marijuana (0.9% of respondents ages 16 years and older).

A lot is known about alcohol’s effects on driving. Still, more research is needed to understand how drugs impact driving skills. However, research has shown that both legal and illicit drugs can have a serious impact on a person’s ability to drive safely. For example:

Some of the effects of being impaired by marijuana that can affect driving include slowed reaction time and decision-making, impaired coordination, and distorted perception.

Other drugs like cocaine or illicit amphetamines can also impair skills like perception, memory, and attention in the short or long term.

Prescription and over-the-counter medications can cause many side effects that can impact driving, such as sleepiness, impaired vision, and impaired coordination.

Use of multiple substances (such as marijuana and alcohol) at the same time can increase impairment.

With more states passing laws regarding the legal use of drugs, either recreationally or medically, it’s important to remember that driving under the influence means under the influence of anything.

“As far as this classifying driving under the influence, that can be from marijuana through prescription drugs, alcohol. A DUI can encompass any of those things, but I would say there’s not one that’s worse than the other; they’re all equally bad,” said Meghan Bruce, a Lighthorse Police Officer with the Choctaw Nation.

According to alcohol.org, a first-time DUI offense could cost anywhere between $10,000 and $25,000 or more when the tally is finally completed.

Time away from work, property damage or injuries are not included in these totals; costs can skyrocket once those are factored in.

There are things you can do to enjoy your time without risking these financial burdens or putting yourself and others at risk.

“First and foremost, you can designate somebody [to drive] if you plan to travel home. If you don’t plan to travel home, just stay put,” Bruce said.

One suggestion Bruce made was to be sure you stock up on enough alcohol for the event.

She explains a common scenario she often sees, “What will happen is they get to whatever event that they’re going to, and they run out of beverages.”

It’s on that quick trip to the store that Bruce says tragedy can strike, “The most dangerous person on the road isn’t the person that’s blackout drunk. The most dangerous person on the road is the person that doesn’t think that they’ve drunk enough to be under the influence, so they’re overly confident.”

Bruce says reaction times are often affected before you realize it, or you may think you’re fine because you’ve just had a little.

There’s nothing wrong with being a responsible adult and enjoying yourself. Part of that responsibility is having a plan, though. Johnson recommends planning ahead, “Always have a backup plan. Always have a safe person that you can call. Assign that designated driver if you know that you’re going to be drinking around the holidays, or make that plan to stay where you’re at.”

If you’re hosting a party where drinking will be involved, you can do your part by reminding people to plan ahead.

Bruce puts driving impaired more bluntly, “You can die; You can kill somebody; It can follow you throughout the entirety of your life. Those are some of the results and the consequences of driving impaired.”

If your organization wants to host the Drunk Busters goggles, you can contact Kelsea Johnson at [email protected].