JACKSON, Miss. – Holiday travels are not over for a lot of Mississippians. Some may be planning a wild night in Memphis or New Orleans, or planning be with loved ones at midnight to welcome in the New Year. Regardless, if you plan on drinking you shouldn’t drive.
If you decide to drink, the best thing to do is to have a plan in place before going out: designate a sober driver, call a friend or family member or utilize your community’s public transportation or taxi system.
“We know there is going to be people out there that are going to be going to parties where alcohol is going to be involved. It’s simple as planning ahead and having that plan in place before you go out to enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebration,” said Mississippi Department of Transpiration Spokesperson Jason Scott. “Designate a sober driver. Have and alternative way of getting to point A to point B and getting home safely. There is never an excuse of getting behind the wheel after you have been drinking.
MDOT offers these additional tips for safe driving this New Year’s:
- Buckle up. It provides your best defense against injury or death in a crash. Facts don’t lie: seat belts save lives.
- Don’t drive distracted; concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
- Slow down and be mindful of construction work zones and animals darting across the roadways.
- Be aware of other drivers; don’t assume that everyone else is driving as safely as you.
In 2012, impaired driving deaths represented 31 percent of all traffic deaths in Mississippi. In addition, 684 Mississippi drivers were involved in deadly impaired driving accidents in 2012, and 406 drivers in Mississippi were killed in drunk driving-related car crashes.
