Ahh,the 4th of July.  That quintessential of all American summer holidays. And this year, many folks find a little bonus of time with the actual date falling on a Sunday.  All the more reason to plan to have a safe and happy weekend!

For many years now, July 4th has been somewhat bittersweet after a 16 year old girl I knew from the Young Women’s class I taught at church was hit and killed in a SkiDoo accident.  At this point I do not even remember the details yet I think of her and her Mother each and every year on July 4th.  Life could have been so different for them all.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council want to remind everyone that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. Buzzed drivers drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because they have had “only a few” drinks.  Same thing goes for on the water where the sun and the drinking and the water and the boating can become such a lethal combination.

More Officers will be out to help protect us from ourselves and others.  What should our keyrole be?

PLAN AHEAD.

Say it with me:

**Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

**Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

**Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

Got it?  Protect lives.

Plan ahead by

• having a someone sober as designated driver
• finding alternate transportation (bus, taxi, even a family member like dad or mom)
• having contact phone numbers for necessary calls along with you
• calling 9-1-1 if you see suspicious driving on the road

Don’t become another statistic. In one year 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes with drunk drivers. In one 4th weekend, 491motor vehicle fatalities happened. Don’t let this happen to you or anyone else.

Be part of the solution not the problem. Go to http://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/sign.php#video to learn more.

This post was written as part of a campaign for the Global Influence Network. It has not been monetarily compensated however I have received an entry into a drawing in exchange for my participation. As always, my opinions are my own.