- Hey guys, so the holiday season is upon us,
and in that spirit, I'd like to take the opportunity
to talk about a really important topic
that affects us all.
By now, we've all seen the commercials and signs,
and we know that drunk driving is wrong.
That you know, but what you likely don't know
is the shocking facts and statistics behind it.
Welcome to "Facts in 5," the series that covers
the coolest and most interesting facts on a topic
in five minutes or less.
DUI, DWI, impaired driving, call it whatever you want,
it's a selfish crime that causes thousands
of deaths every year.
We live in a world where car crashes have become
the leading cause of death among teenagers,
and alarmingly, in just 2014 alone, 17%
of the 16- to 20-year-old drivers involved
in fatal crashes were in fact drunk.
This, along with every other death caused
by alcohol, could have been avoided.
So today, in hopes that you and yours have
a safe holiday season, we're taking a closer look
at driving under the influence of alcohol,
and the unbelievable truth behind it.
That's right, this is "Facts in 5" all about drunk driving.
What is drunk driving?
Drunk driving is a crime in which a person operates
a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
In all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, it's illegal
to drive if your blood alcohol content, or BAC,
is point zero eight or higher.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that there are
harsh penalties for it, that doesn't stop people
from drinking and driving.
Some people just don't understand what a BAC
of point zero eight means, and some truly believe
that they're fine to drive, when they've
definitely had too much.
The truth is, it's simply not worth the risk,
and cabs are very affordable nowadays, let's be honest.
Who does drunk driving affect?
Odds are you or someone that you know has
been affected by drunk driving.
Statistically, when it came to fatal crashes
that occurred in 2014 involving a drunk driver,
men were more often behind the wheel than
women at a shocking ratio of 7,574
to only 1,671, that is four point five
males for every one female.
Additionally, when looking at drivers involved
in fatal crashes where the driver's blood alcohol level
was point zero eight or higher, 30% of the 21- to
24-year-olds involved were drunk,
the highest percentage of any age group.
To the young dudes out there, don't be a statistic.
You have many years of partying
and having fun ahead of you.
Let's just make sure you're alive to enjoy them.
Where does drunk driving do damage?
In 2010, on top of the 10,136 people
who lost their lives due to drunk driving,
$44 billion in damages were caused because of it
in the United States alone.
Yeah, that's right, I said $44 billion!
That's a lot of money that could be used for
some really great things, but instead, it's going
to deal with the devastation caused by impaired
use of motor vehicles.
It's kind of disgusting isn't it?
What's worse is the other place that
drunk driving hurts, families.
In 2014, 209 children 14 and younger lost their
lives because of an alcohol-impaired driver.
One hundred and sixteen of those kids were
actually riding in a vehicle with a
drunk driver at the wheel.
It's just startling.
When does drunk driving happen?
Truth be told, the answer to this question
should obviously be never, but unfortunately,
that's simply not the case.
In 2014, of the drivers involved in fatal
crashes that occurred in the U.S. at night,
34% were impaired, nearly four times more
than the rate during daylight hours at only 9%.
The same data showed that 29% of drivers involved
in fatal crashes on the weekend were drunk,
nearly twice the rate of those during the week,
at 16%, but the scariest statistic to come out of 2014
revealed that in the United States, an average
of one drunk driving death occurred every 53 minutes.
Truly mindblowing.
Why is drunk driving such an issue?
As I've already said, drunk driving impacts
our economy severely.
This is due to lost productivity, workplace losses,
legal and court expenses, medical costs and
property damage, just to name some.
But one of the most terrifying realities is that
you could be the kind of person who never, ever
drives under the influence and yet is still one
of its many victims.
In 2014, it was reported that 2,752 people lost
their lives as vehicle occupants due to impaired
driving, while another 824 fatalities occurred
amongst people who weren't in any vehicle at all.
now that you know the dangers of drunk driving
here's an easy way to get home safe
when you've been drinking
download the NHTSA Safer Ride app from the Apple App store, or the Google Play store.
NHTSA wants to remind to to drive sober or get pulled over.
You guys are all really important to me, so please be safe this holiday season.
I want to see you and those you love around for a long time.
Be sure to add me to Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram
my handle on each is Matthew Santoro
And don't forget to check out my other channel
MatthewSantoroVlogs for even more fun
And subscribe to this channel for more weekly videos
I'll see you guys next time!
Peace!