Students need to prepare to designate a driver when drinking, especially as the holiday season approaches, said experts from local and national groups as they recognized December as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.
Planning ahead is one of the best ways to avoid drinking and driving, said Rebecca Allen, health educator at Olin Health Center.
"Your safest bet is if you plan to drive, just don't drink," Allen said. "You don't always know how much is in that one drink."
Always be sure to have a designated driver arranged before going out to drink, and make sure that person doesn't drink. Drinking and driving can be dangerous, and laws are strict, so it is not worth the risk, she said.
She also suggested people know numbers for taxi services and public transportation before going out, so there is always a backup.
Traditionally, a daylong observance about the issue was held around New Year's Eve, which is known to be a time where there are a lot of parties and drinking and driving, said John Moulden, the president of Transportation Safety Associates and the former president of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.
A week in December was then proclaimed as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week, and it grew into an entire month that is now supported by a coalition of many groups and people, he said.
"It's basically just awareness and an attempt to get people to party safely and remember the danger of drunk driving," Moulden said.
In Lansing, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, is holding a Tie One On For Safety conference, a public awareness project that encourages people to tie ribbons to their cars as a pledge to drive sober.
The event will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Capitol building.
According to a National College Health Assessment Survey from 2002, about 45 percent of MSU students always use a designated driver when drinking.
One in three Americans will be affected by impaired driving in their lifetime, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16,694 people died in alcohol-related car accidents in 2004. This accounted for 39 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
Although MADD does different projects throughout the entire year and not just during the prevention month, they work hard during the holidays to educate people about drinking and driving, said Misty Moyse, spokeswoman for MADD.
"We know that during the holidays there are more people on the roads and more people traveling," she said. "We advocate that everybody be as safe as possible and plan ahead."
