The holidays are a time of year where many people have a lot going on. Whether you are looking forward to carrying on the holiday traditions that mean the most to you, excited for the food and cooking that comes along with it, spending time with friends and loved ones. decorating the tree, or a variety of other reasons, you have to admit that there is a lot to get pumped about.
You may be busy decorating your home, preparing for celebrations, getting ready to go to parties, or shopping for gifts. Maybe you’re having a tough time balancing all of this and your regular duties, like the family, work, and the home. Most people do find that they have an increase of parties, things to do, and even an increase in their stress levels. Adults tend to drink more alcoholic beverages during the holiday season than usual. Drivers who are at high risk for driving impaired also tend to drink way more than usual between the Thanksgiving holiday and the start of the New Year. Those were just the ones that were monitored and knew they would be part of a study as well.
Do DUI arrests go up during the holidays? The short answer is yes. The amount of people driving intoxicated increases, and the amount of arrests of those operating a motor vehicle under the influence goes up. The time period of November 21st to the 1st of January may well be one of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road driving. They say that the holidays are also a time where many people get depressed or have a tough time. It can be a difficult time for recovering alcoholics or addicts or people who are estranged or choose not to be around members of their family.
Whether it’s the increase in parties and social events combined with ‘feeling down’ aspect of the winter blues, feeling like you’re free to celebrate, the availability and encouragement to drink alcohol, or other things, driving under the influence and subsequent arrests do go up during this season. In Florida, checkpoints and patrols for intoxicated drivers increase as well in reaction to a statistically higher amount of intoxicated drivers.
Check out these stats:
– Highway death percentages related to alcohol increases Thanksgiving to New Year’s.
– January 1st had the highest amount of deaths related to alcohol from 2008-2012, according to Safe Auto.
– Crashes between Christmas and the New Year relating to alcohol kill roughly 2 to 3 times more people than other parts of the year.
How to Avoid a Holiday DUI
– Don’t drink and operate a vehicle.
– Contact a ride sharing service (UBER or LYFT) or taxi service.
– Have a designated driver that is not drinking.
Not all intoxication complaints end up sticking– many are thrown out through fighting the charge in court. Contact a lawyer if you or someone you know has been charged with this in Florida or has been in an accident involving an intoxicated driver. They can hear you out and provide counsel on what to do next so you have the best shot at a positive result. Get in touch today and schedule a consultation to find out more.
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