Roadside Chat - What's more relevant than driving sober?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “relevant” means having a significant and demonstratable bearing on the matter at hand.
By that definition, where the “matter at hand” is making it to your destination safely, driving sober is one of the most relevant things each of us can do. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 13,384 people died in drunk driving crashes in 2021 (the last year where complete data is available). That’s one person every 39 minutes and a 14 percent increase in deaths from 2020.
If you’re celebrating the Super Bowl or any other occasion, find a sober ride.
In case you didn’t know, pick 262 of the 2022 NFL draft AKA “Mr. Irrelevant” is one of the starting quarterbacks in this week’s Super Bowl - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL8lD6cGy3U
So far in 2024 in Iowa, 17 people have been killed in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of three since last Friday. In Iowa in 2023, there were 378 traffic-related deaths. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf