National Impaired Driving Prevention Month | |
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December is a time for celebrating the holidays with friends and family, reflecting on the past year, and setting personal and professional goals for 2025. Throughout these celebrations, it is important to stay focused on making wise decisions to avoid impaired driving and encourage others to do the same. When communities, coalitions, and prevention professionals work together, we can help reduce the rate of impaired driving.
National Impaired Driving Prevention Month is observed in December, during the holiday season, when traffic accidents and fatalities increase due to celebrations and travel. Heightened awareness of the dangers of impaired driving can help communities reduce these tragedies.
Substance misuse, being distracted, and driving while feeling drowsy are several types of driving impairment.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), 47% of motor vehicle fatalities in Illinois involve alcohol. Alcohol, as well as cannabis and other substances, can slow reaction time and impair coordination.
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In 4 out of 7 states that legalized recreational cannabis, deaths from car crashes rose 10%, according to a University of Illinois Chicago study.
Check out the Prevention First Cannabis Policy Resource Center (CPRC) for more information about cannabis use and its effects.
Despite these statistics, the good news is that impaired driving is preventable. Here are some tips to share with your community:
- If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before the drinking begins.
- If you feel impaired, call a friend, share a ride, or use a ride-hailing app.
- If you are hosting a holiday gathering, provide plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, and make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.
- If you see a driver who seems impaired, pull over and call local law enforcement.
- Always wear a seatbelt. It’s your best defense in a crash.
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“As the holiday season approaches, celebrations often involve alcohol or other substances, leading to an increased risk of impaired driving. National Impaired Driving Prevention Month reminds us that by working collaboratively, we can help protect each other from this danger."
-Karel Homrig, Chief Executive Officer of Prevention First
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Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance | |
QPR Training to be held January 23
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn, in a short timeframe, how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens and young adults ages 10-34 (CDC, 2023). 22% of high school students reported having seriously considered suicide, and 10% attempted suicide in the past year (CDC, 2023). Bringing in a New Year can be exciting for many, but can also be a challenging time filled with change and transitions.
Join Prevention First’s Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a virtual QPR training Thursday, January 23, with a focus on preventing suicide among young people during the New Year.
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Resources for National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 39 minutes. In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. These deaths were all preventable".
A Roadside Safety Check, also known as a Roadside Sobriety Checkpoint, is a law enforcement tool to detect & deter impaired driving. Roadside Safety checks work when paired with a strong awareness campaign. Campaigns can be conducted by law enforcement or in conjunction with a prevention coalition. You can download the Alcohol Policy Resource Center infographic on Roadside Sobriety Checkpoints.
On January 9, 2025, Dr. David Jernigan will be presenting the webinar "Alcohol Taxes to Save Lives: Using Tax Policies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms." Register today for this dynamic presentation!
The Alcohol Policy Resource Center can assist with analyzing your data, scanning your community, and matching policy/strategy to assessment findings. If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to Jody Heavilin.
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YPRC Offers New Resource To Help Young People Stop Vaping
According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) conducted by the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.63 million youth reported regularly using e-cigarettes. In Illinois, 40 percent of 10th and 12th graders said there was low or no risk of people harming themselves if they use e-cigarettes. The use of e-cigarettes puts youth at risk for dependency and other health consequences.
Our new resource, "Help A Young Person Quit Vaping", can help you support a young person in their journey to ending their use of e-cigarettes. It provides five simple approaches to begin the conversation.
Click below to download this free resource from our website. While you're there, check out our other resources aimed at creating safer, healthier environments for young people!
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New Webinar: "The Alcohol Retail Environment: Emerging Hazards
to Public Safety"
Join the CPRC and APRC on January 30th to learn about emerging alcohol and cannabis beverage trends, presented by Dr. Matthew Rossheim.
Over the past decade, the U.S. alcohol retail landscape has changed drastically with the introduction of new types of ready-to-drink products – many with high alcohol content – the co-branding of alcohol and soda brands, and the emergence of THC-infused beverages. Additionally, shifts in marketing and sales practices, influenced by technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic, have raised substantial concerns about underage access and overconsumption. This presentation will explore these evolving trends, offering insights into recent research on product marketing and the implications for public health and policy development.
Register today for the webinar "The Alcohol Retail Environment: Emerging Hazards to Public Safety" on Thursday, January 30 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm CST.
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Register today for the January ECHO session!
The next Prevention First Leadership Center ECHO session will be January 14, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. January's topic will be: individuals who inject drugs.
Prevention First Leadership Center Harm Reduction ECHO focuses on harm reduction issues and community-based strategies to prevent substance use-related overdoses, deaths, or other harmful impacts, including decreasing the stigma surrounding harm reduction. Each ECHO session will have a 20-minute presentation facilitated by a guest speaker on various topics, including evidence-based harm reduction strategies, stigma, obtaining community buy-in, and current trends. The remainder of the session involves case presentation(s) and peer discussion on strategies to overcome the issues presented.
If you are interested in receiving a registration invite, please click here!
CEUs have been applied for.
The core of each session is the case presentations. If you are interested in submitting a case, please click here!
As the holiday season approaches, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude and appreciation. This year has been filled with growth and opportunities, and we are truly thankful for our partnerships and your support!
We look forward to continuing our journey with you in the year ahead, striving for excellence and building even stronger connections.
Wishing you a happy holiday season!
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