Buckle up, drive sober, arrive alive

The new year is often a time of celebration as one year ends and another begins.

However, many New Year’s celebrations have ended in tragedy because of alcohol-fueled vehicular crashes.

Here at the Daily American Republic, we’ve had many articles in our paper this year about serious and fatal vehicle crashes. Sadly, some of those crashes were a result of a driver consuming alcohol before he or she got behind the wheel.

So, if you’re going to celebrate this New Year’s Eve by consuming alcohol, don’t get behind the wheel — pure and simple.

While some think that has been said so many times it has become cliché, history has proven time and again that it cannot be said enough.

According to the American Safety Council, more than half of vehicular crashes on New Year’s Day involve excessive blood alcohol.

The answer is simple — if you’re going to drive tonight — or any night, for that matter — don’t drink. And if you are going to drink tonight, don’t drive. Get a ride, or get a designated driver. Simple enough.

Also, don’t forget to buckle up when you’re driving or riding in a vehicle. We have lost count of how many serious — and even fatal — crashes we have written about where a person suffered serious injuries or even died and they were not wearing a seat belt. Too many children have been left without a parent — and too many parents have lost children — where a seat belt could have made the difference.

When we say “Seat belts save lives,” some of us at the DAR speak from personal experience. DAR reporter Mike Buhler totaled his car on Interstate 55 in eastern Arkansas in July 2008. A friend of his drove by the accident and later told him he was lucky to be alive. If Buhler had not been wearing his seat belt, he might not be.

Sunday marks the beginning of a new year. Don’t let it end prematurely — drive sober and buckle up!