Celebrities and DUI DWI - Driving Drunk Isn't Just for the Famous

Not a day goes by that I don't hear about another celebrity being sited for driving drunk. Paris Hilton is on every single online news site and in every paper on a daily basis. Other celebrities cited for DUII include: Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan, Vin Baker, Eve, Vivica Fox, Tony La Russa, Nicole Richie, Ray Liotta, Warren Moon, Shemar Moore, Tracy Morgan. And the list goes on, and on. You might actually think that there are more celebrities drinking and driving than anyone else, from actors to singers, models to athletes, politicians and more.

In reality, there are so many drunken drivers out there that according to NHTSA in 2004 there were 16,694 alcohol-related fatalities (39% of total traffic fatalities for the year). This number in itself is should be quite sobering. In 2003 1.4 million drivers were sited for DUI. I have to wonder how many were driving drunk that were never caught. We have all seen them, stumbling to the car from a bar and driving off. Maybe over the curb or the wrong direction on a one-way. My estimation would be that over half of the drunken drivers are never caught. Many statistics state that as many as 1 in 10 drivers at any given time on the road is under the influence of alcohol.

On television, I see commercials every 5 to 10 minutes encouraging people to stop smoking, for their health and for those around them. Advertisments on designated drivers or abstaining from drinking alcohol are few and far between. There are many different organizations that have been working hard over the past few years to increase awareness on DUI:

MADD.orgChange.orgStopImparredDriving.orgAlcoholics-Anonymous.org

Certain times are more dangerous to be on the roads than others. Weekends have more drunken drivers, as do the evenings. More of the Monday thru Friday 8-5 traffic are the working public going to and from their jobs, sober. In 2004 New Years Day 68.9% of accidents were alcohol related. Super Bowl Sunday - 63.7%, Fourth of July - 49% Halloween 54% (MADD.org)

With the super hyped publicity of the drunken and car wrecked celebrities of recent times, perhaps a few more people will hand the keys over to a Designated Driver. Unfortunately theses celebrities are actually benefitting monetarily from this publicity. They become better known. Consumers buy more of their movies, music, clothes, etc... In the limelight, any publicity is good for the pocket book. Unfortunately, driving and drinking kills thousands of Americans every year. Publicity of this sort makes being cited with a DUI almost 'cool'. This is a coolness we cannot let continue. Spread the word, 'Don't Drink and Drive,' 'Friends don't let Friends Drive Drunk' and 'Be safe and drink responsibly.'