Tag: drunk driving

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

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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

Las Vegas Teens Learn About the Dangers of Drinking and Driving

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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?

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© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Talking Urinal Cakes – Another Unique Tool to Combat Drunk Driving

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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

DUI Arrests in Las Vegas Are Up 18% in 2012

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

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