Decades ago, before organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving fought to educate the public and get stricter drunk driving laws passed, the annual number of DUI accident deaths was much higher than it is today. In fact, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the yearly number of fatal DUI accidents in the U.S. has been reduced by half since 1980, when MADD was founded.
Education and enforcement are the keys to continuing the reduction in DUI accidents, which still injure far too many people in Ohio each year. That means each new generation of young people, along with their adult counterparts, must be made aware of how drunk driving can devastate lives.
We’re reminded of these important issues after a recent head-on collision on the campus of Kent State University.
The Ohio State Patrol reports that a Kent State student driving a car admitted that she had consumed alcohol and drugs prior to the collision. According to authorities, her car crossed the centerline of the road and collided head-on with a Jeep occupied by three men, also Kent State students.
Two of the students in the Jeep were ejected, and they and the young woman were taken to hospitals to be treated for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening. The third occupant of the Jeep reportedly declined to be treated at the scene.
Educating motorists about the dangers of drunk driving is one important component in making Ohio roads as safe as they can be. Another key aspect of driver education is emphasizing the dangers of distracted driving.
For more on that issue, please see Chester Law Group’s previous post, “Distracted driving accidents are utterly preventable.”