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Recognizing the month of December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, According to The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk driving crashes, equating to one person every 45 minutes; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, 11,654 people died due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes in which the driver was convoluted or someone with whom they came in contact chose to use alcohol and then get behind the wheel; and
WHEREAS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed during the past year over 26 million people ages 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, 17 percent of these people were 20 to 25 years old; and
WHEREAS, For more than 40 years, preventionists across the country have observed National Impaired Driving Prevention Month in December to raise awareness that impaired driving can be deadly and to put strategies in place for all of us to make it home safely; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and nonfatal injury among U.S. adolescents, resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths and 300,000 nonfatal injuries each year; and
WHEREAS, While National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving" campaign addresses driving under the influence of just alcohol, it's important to note that many substances can impair driving, including marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines, or even prescribed or over-the-counter medications; and
WHEREAS, As more alcohol is consumed, reaction times increase and behavior becomes poorly controlled or sometimes even aggressive, leading to fights and other types of violence. Continued drinking causes the slurred speech and loss of balance that we typically associate with being drunk; and
WHEREAS, The tragic loss ...
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