AAA MidAtlantic is advising Delaware drivers to take precautions before hitting the road on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s is consistently one of the deadliest times of year for drunk driving fatalities, and overall traffic fatalities are already up this year in the First State compared to last.
107 people died in Delaware car accidents in 2018 with 43 of the deaths involving alcohol. So far this year in the state, 129 people have died in traffic-related accidents with 24 involving alcohol.
And more than 3,400 Delaware drivers have been arrested for DUIs to date this year.
AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Ken Grant advises Delawareans to have a plan before going out on New Year’s Eve.
“By not drinking and driving. You could get a hotel, you could use a taxi or rideshare, you could work something out with the host of the party to stay overnight and be completely sober by the time you get back out on the roads,” said Grant.
There were 285 drunk driving-related fatalities nationally during Christmas and New Year’s in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Grant also advises against drowsy driving and driving while texting.
“[Do] not go out either intoxicated nor ‘intexticated’—which is the other thing that we’re focusing on is people who are driving distracted these days,” said Grant. “We’re seeing more and more crashes that seem to be occurring because of that.”
