As the calendar turns to October, the fall holiday season is right around the corner. The season starts with Halloween, trots into Thanksgiving and before you know it's Christmas and the New Year have arrived.  As Central Pennsylvanian’s prepare for October's Halloween parties with family and friends, Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to remind all drivers that it’s dangerous to drive after drinking. You have to choose your role before drinking begins: will you drink or will you drive? Remember, even if you only have a little bit to drink and think you’re “okay to drive,” you could still be over the legal limit, because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

District Attorney Marsico explained the slogan: “A lot of folks think they know their own limits. They think that if they’re just a little ‘buzzed,’ then they’re still good to drive.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Time and again, drivers who may have only had a couple of drinks put themselves and others at serious risk.”  

This anti-drunk-driving campaign aims to inform all Americans about the dangers of driving after drinking—even after drinking just a little. Drunk driving is a terrible killer on our nation’s roads. In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving crashes. This time of year is especially dangerous due to holiday celebrations and frequent parties. In 2013, a third (31%) of all crash fatalities in America involved drunk driving. 

So the holiday season comes howling at us, Dauphin County’s Law Enforcement Community urges everyone to plan ahead:

• Designate a sober driver. If you plan on drinking at all, don’t plan on driving.
• Don’t assume that you’ll know whether you can safely drive or not at the end of the night. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member, use public transportation.
• Remember, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving!