Sheriff warns of tougher penalties for drunk driver

For millions of adults, the holidays are festive times, filled with tradition. Unfortunately, one of those traditions is getting drunk and driving an automobile. ?If you?re planning a holiday at the office or at home, or if you go out to celebrate this Christmas or New Year?s Eve, use common sense and designate a driver who will stay sober and get you home in one piece,? reminds PI County sheriff Terry Flewelling. Football games and family gatherings during Christmas and New Year?s Day may be part of many family?s plans, but those plans can be ruined in one fatal incident, Flewelling said. More than 50 percent of all fatal crashes involves a driver who is under the influence of alcohol.

New Year?s Eve is one of the most lethal nights in that respect. Flewelling also cites the state?s new, tougher drunk driving laws as another reason to designate a driver this holiday season.

?WITH THESE new laws, drunk drivers had better beware ? we will g

et you off the road, provide you a designated driver, and keep you off the road,? Flewelling said. ?You will definitely do time ? you may not even be around to enjoy the New Year. Do yourself, your family and the other guy a favor ? stay sober when you drive during the holidays, or anytime, and remember to bring them back alive.?

Flewelling said it is no secret that alcohol relaxes inhibitions, slows reaction time, decreases coordination and impairs judgment and vision. National, state, and local campaigns have spread the word against drunk driving, yet so many lives are still lost on our roads, the sheriff said.

?You can help reduce the statistics instead of becoming one,? Flewelling said. The sheriff?s department urges people to use a designated driver and promote the use of one with family and friends. ?Better yet, volunteer to be a designated driver and save a life,? Flewelling said. ?What better gift could you give your family and friends?”

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