Smart Safety - Own It: The Responsibility of Getting Behind the Wheel

By: Personal Safety Technology expert, Kathy Boden Holland

 

It’s time to have a direct discussion on impaired driving—and center on the root of the issue: personal responsibility.

Now and always, but particularly as we focus on December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we all have a role to play in reminding one another of the risks.

As an expert in personal safety technology, I know that tools are only as effective as the meaning we give them. Messaging campaigns like “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” are extremely effective in bringing this issue top of mind—but it’s up to us all to own it.

Own what exactly? The responsibility of getting behind the wheel.

And to be clear, I’m talking to the parent, the guardian, the caretaker, the coach, the family advisor, and every other person who influences a loved one. Not law enforcement or local authorities. While their work is vital, what matters most is that we interrupt our current thinking around this life-or-death issue and reorient our sense of ownership.

You can set your own standards in the home.

You can have honest discussions with loved ones about the consequences of drunk driving.

You can tie a red ribbon on your vehicle as a reminder to drive sober (as part of MADD’s Tie One On for Safety).

You can also take action and adopt cutting edge technology and tools to bring data, metrics, and even barriers to this issue.

One critical example of a cutting-edge tool is an ignition interlock system like Keeper Drive, which pairs with a breathalyzer. These devices allow families to proactively take matters into their own hands—for themselves, for their teen, or for their grandparent.

This Holiday season, it is a fact that we have a heightened risk with an uptick in holiday parties, phenomena like “blackout Wednesday” and that yee ol’ holiday party.

Impaired driving remains a leading cause of traffic fatalities. 32 people are killed every day in the U.S. in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver, notes VA News.

 

It’s time to own it.