Tag Archives: drunk driving

May 21, 2013 · 6:44 am

NTSB Recommends Lowering Legal Limit on Drunk Driving from .08 to .05

drunk-drivingDrunk driving continues to be a serious problem that results in over 10,000 deaths each year on U.S. roads; that accounts for one-third of all traffic-related fatalities (CDC). In fact, The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police department reported that drinking and driving arrests were up 18% in 2012 over 2011. That works out to approximately 30 DUI arrests every day in Las Vegas. Police, beverage service professionals, and community agencies work together each year to combat the problem through a mix of education, safe beverage service, sobriety checkpoints, decoy operations and more. But, could more be done to keep impaired drivers off of the road?

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board made a recommendation that states lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit from .08 to .05 for driving a vehicle in an effort to further reduce crashes (Las Vegas Sun). In 2000, Congress passed a measure that required states to lower the legal limit to .08 by 2003 to avoid losing a portion of their federal highway construction funding. The legal limit for intoxication in Nevada has been set at .08 since 2003.

The new NTSB recommendation is drawing mixed reviews from various groups and individuals across Nevada (Action News 13) but it does get people talking about the issue and draws attention to the dangers of buzzed and drunk driving. Arguments have also been made that the focus should instead be placed on tougher restrictions for repeat DUI offenders and those with BAC’s of .10 or higher.

No matter where you stand on the issue of a change to the legal BAC limit for driving a vehicle, it is important to always practice the Techniques of Alcohol Management®. Do your part to serve responsibly and monitor your patrons closely for signs of intoxication. For more tips on how to help prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel, check out our blog post “Are You Doing All You Can to Prevent Drunk Driving?”

Do you think a lower legal BAC limit would help to reduce drunken driving-related crashes? What tips would you give someone else to help prevent intoxicated individuals from getting behind the wheel of a car?

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© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

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April 25, 2013 · 6:26 am

Every 15 Minutes: Henderson Area School is Showcasing Alcohol Awareness Education with a Powerful Program

drunk-drivingApril is Alcohol Awareness Month, and that is followed closely by Prom and Graduation season. At a time when teenagers are more likely than ever to be tempted with chances to participate in underage drinking, a local area high school has chosen to send a powerful message to their students with the Every 15 Minutes program. Every 15 minutes, a driver, passenger, or an innocent bystander dies from an alcohol-related car crash. Every weekend, a teenager dies in a car crash and half of those accidents involve alcohol. This message about the dangers of drinking and driving was brought to local teens in a unique way.

Late last week, local Henderson Liberty High School juniors and seniors learned a tough lesson about the dangers of driving while impaired. Participants were guided through a powerful two-day event complete with student and parent involvement, guest speakers, and even a chance to tour what looked like an active fatal accident scene involving friends and peers.

By giving teens a close-up look at the real and tragic consequences of driving while impaired, there is hope that students will take the lessons to heart and make safe choices for themselves in the future. The Henderson Police Department has partnered with other area agencies since 2001 to create this unique learning experience for over 40,000 Henderson teens.

Teens often have feelings of invincibility about dangerous choices and feel like nothing bad could possibly happen to them. By launching an interactive program to demonstrate the dangers of what could happen to them and other teens like them, it drives the point home.

As a TAM® Card holder or hospitality worker, are you doing all you can to help bring the number of drunk-driving related accidents even lower?

Remember to remain vigilant:

  • Display signage in your store or bar announcing that purchasers of alcohol will be carded and ALWAYS check identification carefully, especially for anyone who appears to be under the age of 30.
  • Report any suspicious behavior or activity among patrons to your supervisor or manager.
  • Be an example to others by promoting safe beverage policies and keep up-to-date with your TAM® training.

Do you think the Every Fifteen Minutes program is a useful tool in reducing teen drinking and driving?

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© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

 

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September 18, 2012 · 6:34 am

Las Vegas Teens Learn About the Dangers of Drinking and Driving

Late last week, local Las Vegas Legacy High School juniors and seniors learned a tough lesson about the dangers of driving while impaired. With the Every Fifteen Minutes program, participants were guided through a unique and powerful 2-day event complete with student and parent involvement, mock obituaries being read about participating students, and even a chance to tour what looked like an active fatal accident scene involving friends and peers.

By giving teens a close-up look at the real and tragic consequences of driving while impaired, there is hope that students will take the lessons to heart and make safe choices for themselves in the future. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has partnered with the Clark County and Las Vegas Fire Departments, University Medical Center, Clark County Coroner’s Office, Mercy Air, Ambulance services, Palm Mortuary and a host of sponsors to create this unique learning experience for Clark County teens.

Teens often have feelings of invincibility about dangerous choices and feel like nothing bad could possibly happen to them. By launching an interactive program to demonstrate the dangers of what could happen to them and other teens like them, it drives the point home. To learn more about the Every Fifteen Minutes program and activities, visit the LVMP website.

The program’s name was derived from the fact that in the early 1990′s, every fifteen minutes, someone in the United States died in an alcohol-related traffic collision. The NHTSA now estimates that the number of fatal alcohol-related collisions is lower. Now, approximately every 51 minutes, someone dies in a drunk-driving related traffic collision. As a TAM® Card holder or hospitality worker, are you doing all you can to help bring the number of drunk-driving related accidents even lower?

Remember to remain vigilant:

  • Display signage in your store or bar announcing that purchasers of alcohol will be carded.
  • Report any suspicious behavior or activity among patrons to your supervisor or manager.
  • Keep up-to-date with your TAM® training.
  • ALWAYS check identification carefully, especially for anyone who appears to be under the age of 30.

What you do think about the Every Fifteen Minutes program? What policies have you instituted at your business to help deter teen drinking?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

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August 7, 2012 · 10:59 am

Talking Urinal Cakes – Another Unique Tool to Combat Drunk Driving

If the sound of a ladies voice in the men’s room has you searching for the source, it just may be coming from the urinals. In an effort to employ a unique and attention grabbing way to remind bar patrons to avoid driving drunk, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning recently asked restaurant and bar owners to place “talking” urinal cakes in restrooms to encourage patrons to call a cab or a friend to get home safely. Bar and restaurant patrons have been exposed to posters, radio advertisements, and television commercials for years reminding them not to drive drunk, but this new delivery format is garnering a lot of buzz.

The Michigan OHSP, working with the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, mailed out the motion-activated deodorizer cakes to bars and restaurants in early July as a part of statement efforts to crack down on impaired driving over the Fourth of July weekend. While the message is very serious and nothing new, the delivery method hasn’t been used before, and it’s getting people talking and taking the message to heart.

Do you think a similar program could be successful in Nevada? Do you think creative messaging like talking urinal cakes might convince bar patrons to call a designated driver? Tell us what you think!

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© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

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July 10, 2012 · 6:26 am

DUI Arrests in Las Vegas Are Up 18% in 2012

Las Vegas Metro Police worked tirelessly through the Independence Day celebrations on July 3rd and 4th to help keep motorists and pedestrians safe from impaired drivers. After setting up DUI checkpoints at two intersections in Las Vegas, a total of 30 drivers were arrested under suspicion of driving while impaired (Las Vegas Sun). Perhaps even more concerning, the Metro Police force has made 5,356 DUI arrests, that’s an 18% increase compared to last year. That is the equivalent of about 30 DUI arrests each day (Action News 13). Drunk driving is a serious problem that can harm not only the impaired driver, but also for others who share the roads; passengers, pedestrians, and innocent bystanders.

As a service professional, are you doing all you can to help your patrons get home safe? Bartenders, waiters and anyone else who serves alcoholic beverages have a legal and moral responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly, keep a close eye on their patrons, and promote an alternative means of getting home if anyone appears intoxicated. Hospitality workers should apply the techniques they learned in their TAM® course to serve alcoholic beverages safely.

Let’s all work to make the second half of 2012 safer for the Las Vegas metropolitan community.

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© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

 

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November 9, 2011 · 10:41 am

DUI-Related Traffic Deaths Up This Year in Southern Nevada – Are You Doing All You Can to Help Prevent Drunk Driving?

If you’ve been following the local news lately, you’ll know about the recent spike in pedestrian deaths around Las Vegas. In the past few weeks, a 15-year-old was struck by an alleged drunk driver in Henderson, a child was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver while trick-or-treating in Las Vegas, and a pedestrian was killed the following night while crossing the street at Cheyenne Avenue, also hit by a driver who was later booked for DUI (News 3 Las Vegas). Police are taking this time to remind drivers and pedestrians alike to be cautious, follow safety precautions, and most importantly, say no to drunk driving. In fact, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, there have already been twelve alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Las Vegas this year, up from seven in 2010. As a service professional, are you doing all you can to help your patrons get home safe?

Bartenders, waiters and anyone else who serves alcoholic beverages have a legal and moral responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly, keep a close eye on their patrons, and promote an alternative means of getting home if anyone appears intoxicated. There are a few things you can do to help promote safe beverage policies:

  • Complete your mandatory alcohol education with TAM® of Nevada. TAM® will teach you and your coworkers to offer excellent and responsible beverage service while keeping patrons safe. TAM®-trained individuals receive the best education possible in safe serving and selling techniques.
  • Become familiar with sober driving services available in southern Nevada. Keep the number to cab companies at your bar so that you can make the call whenever necessary. Companies like Designated Drivers, Inc. provide a responsible alternative to driving while impaired. A driver will be dispatched to take your patron home in their own vehicle, no worries about retrieving their car after they sober up.
  • Keep a close eye on your customers. If a group of guests is at your establishment and an individual within the group is becoming intoxicated, check with a sober member of their group to make sure that they have a plan to get the intoxicated individual home safely. If there is no designated driver assigned, offer to call a cab. Alert your coworkers to make sure the individual is not served any more alcohol.
  • Familiarize yourself with company policies when it comes to intoxicated patrons and suspected drunk drivers. Alert your manager or supervisor if you need to cut someone off, if you need them to intervene in the situation, or if you have any concerns about a guest’s safety.

Drunk driving is a preventable problem, and service professionals in Nevada can help make a difference, and potentially help save lives. What other tips would you offer on how to help prevent drunk driving?

Resources

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

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May 17, 2011 · 6:06 am

Are You Doing All You Can to Prevent Drunk Driving?

Every 30 minutes someone dies in an alcohol-related crash. And, did you know? Alcohol is a factor in 6% of all traffic crashes, and over 40% of all fatal crashes (National Safety Council). These are startling facts that one cannot simply ignore. Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous activities someone can engage in. It’s also 100% preventable.

An alcoholic beverage service professional has a legal and moral responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly, keep a close eye on imbibing patrons, and promote an alternative means of getting home if anyone appears too drunk to drive. One should make sure guests can make it home safely without injuring themselves or others.

Remember, drunk driving is always dangerous, and not just to the driver. Pedestrians, passengers and others on the road can all become victims. Recently in the early morning hours on April 28th, a woman was killed when she was hit by a suspected drunk driver on the Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas Sun). This is another terrible reminder of the dangers of getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink.

Some people are able to ignore the facts. But remember, a victim of a drunk driver is someone’s sister, brother, mother, father, friend, coworker, etc. The Transport Accident Commission in Australia created an incredible PSA on the dangers of drunk driving which can be viewed here. This is a graphic video, but one of the most powerful PSAs we’ve ever seen at TAM® of Nevada. This video is certain to hit close to home for some, and sharing with others will help spread the message that drunk driving is never the answer.

There are a few things you can do to support and promote this message with your patrons.

  1. Complete your alcohol awareness course with TAM® of Nevada to learn about responsible beverage service. Course highlights include identifying false identification, clinical effects of alcohol, laws, rules and regulations, customer disturbances and service guidelines.
  2. Become familiar with sober driving services available in southern Nevada. Keep the number to a reliable cab company and any other sober driver services at your bar so that you can make the call whenever necessary. Companies like Designated Drivers, Inc. provide a responsible alternative to driving while impaired. A driver will be dispatched to take your patron home in their own vehicle, no worrying about retrieving their car after they sober up.
  3. If a group of guests is at your establishment and an individual within the group is becoming intoxicated, check with a sober member of their group to make sure that they have a plan to get the intoxicated individual home safely. If there is no designated driver assigned, offer to call a cab or sober driver service.
  4. Familiarize yourself with company policies when it comes to intoxicated patrons and suspected drunk drivers. Alert your manager or supervisor if you need to cut someone off, if you need them to intervene in the situation, or if you have any concerns about a guest’s safety.
  5. If you have a friend or family member that you worry may have a drinking problem, and may be at risk to drive drunk, do what you can to get them the help they need. Refer to our blog post “April is Alcohol Awareness Month” for tips on how to recognize a drinking problem, and how to help.

Drunk driving is a serious problem that can affect so many. What tips would you give someone else to help prevent intoxicated individuals from getting behind the wheel of a car?

Resources

Drunk Driving – National Safety Council

Woman, 28, accused of DUI after collision kills pedestrian on Las Vegas Strip – Las Vegas Sun

Designated Drivers, Inc.

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

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