Please Don't Drive Drunk

Diamond Bar, California - 6 Dead

A drunk driver was going the wrong way on the Interstate and killed 6 people.

Fact: Each day over 300,000 people drive drunk. Only 3,200 are arrested. Arrest data: Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2014” https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-29 Incidence data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 2012." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. August 7, 2015 / 64(30);814-817. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm

Los Angeles, California - 2 Dead

A drunk driver lost control going well in excess of the speed limit and hit a tree head on after veering off the road.

Fact: Over 40% of 10th graders drink alcohol. Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2015). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2014: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, 599 pp..

Maricopa County, Arizona - 2 Dead

A drunk driver wasn't paying attention and rear ended another car.

Fact: About one third of all drivers arrested for drunk driving are repeat offenders. (Fell, Jim. “Repeat DWI Offenders in the United States.” Washington, DC: National Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Traffic Tech No. 85, February 1995.)

Nashville, Tennessee - 2 Dead

A drunk driver lost control and rear ended another vehicle that was stopped at a red light.

Fact: Over 1.1 million drivers were arrested in 2014 for driving under the influence. Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States: 2014." https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-29

Alhambra, California - 2 Dead

A drunk driver lost control and plunged 60 feet over a highway overpass killing himself and his passenger.

Fact: The rate of drunk driving is highest among 26 to 29 year olds (20.7%). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf

Zebulon, North Carolina - 1 Dead, 5 Injured

A drunk driver swerved off the road onto the shoulder striking another car that had pulled over to change a flat tire.

Fact: In 2014 16% of fatal car accidents were caused by drunk driving during the week as opposed to 29% on weekends. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2014: Alcohol-Impaired Driving.” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812231.pdf

Seattle, Washington - 1 Dead

The drunk driver of the SUV was traveling the wrong way on an Interstate and struck another vehicle head on. The drunk was given a sentence of 10 years in prison. His victim? No life.

Fact: Every day in America 27 people die in an accident caused by a drunk driver. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2014: Alcohol-Impaired Driving.” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812231.pdf

A Human Face On The Tragedy of Drunk Driving

This is Jaqui Saburido before and after she was in a vehicle that was hit by a drunk driver in Austin, Texas. The "after" picture was taken after 40 surgeries to give her some semblance of a normal life. She now travels the country giving lectures on the dangers of drunk driving.