(Havre) During the holidays, Montanans are more likely to consume alcohol, which increases the likelihood of impaired driving during the holiday season. New Media Broadcasters spoke with Colonel Steve Lavin of the Montana Highway Patrol to talk about the MHP’s increased DUI prevention efforts during the holidays.
“December is the national impaired driver prevention month, and so, we’re trying to get the word out education wise to the public about this being the month.” He said, “We’re working extra hard on preventing tragedies on our roadways. Historically, over the holidays, Montanans tend to get together more, get together with their families more, and a lot of these get-togethers are [centered] around alcohol. So, we’re just trying to remind people to be safe. We want to reduce fatalities; we’d like zero fatalities over the December period”
Lavin also offers some DUI avoidance tips: “Always plan on getting a designated driver, arrange for a ride-share if you have that in your community, even plan on spending the night. If you’re having a party and having fun that’s great but just don’t get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking”
Even if you aren’t driving impaired, there are some things that you can do in order to help prevent a potentially fatal crash. Lavin says “Some of the other main causes are failure to wear seatbelts… so many deaths could be prevented if a person just belted their seatbelt and keep themselves from being thrown from the vehicle. We see that as a very high percentage of fatalities as well. The other major factor is speed, with elevated speeds there’s more serious crashes and more chance of having a fatality.”
