Labor Day Driving
The National Safety Council predicts that 498 Americans are likely to be killed in highway crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend. To prevent such tragedies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is working with law-enforcement agencies in a number of states to stress to motorists that they drive sober and wear seatbelts this holiday weekend.Meanwhile, some law enforcement agencies are using a new device to help detect drunk drivers. The P.A.S.III looks like a flashlight, but will actually detect alcohol on a driver's breath.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has launched a public education and enforcement campaign to combat Labor Day weekend tragedies resulting from drunk driving, according to a Sept. 3 press release.
"We do not have to accept this prediction as a matter of fact or fate, because there is something each of us can do to prevent the tragic loss of life on our highways," said MADD National President Karolyn Nunnallee. "If you choose to drink and drive this Labor Day holiday, chances are greater than ever that you will get caught."
According to new statistics released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 478 Americans killed in highway crashes during the 1997 Labor Day holiday weekend, with alcohol a factor in 50 percent of these fatalities.
