For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 30, 2001
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Each December we turn our attention to the problem of drunk driving
by observing National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention
Month. Though the holidays bring joy in celebrations with
family and friends, they also bring a tragic increase in the incidence
of impaired driving. This season, I ask each American to
avoid driving while they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs,
to help stop others from driving in an impaired condition, and to
increase community awareness about these issues.
Despite many efforts by States, communities, and citizen groups to
stop drunk and drugged driving, many Americans mistakenly continue to
view impaired driving as acceptable conduct. After years of
gradual improvement, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes rose by 4
percent from 1999 to 2000. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration estimates that last year alcohol was involved in
40 percent of fatal crashes and in 8 percent of all crashes.
Every person should reaffirm his or her personal responsibility to
drive free of the influence of alcohol or drugs and to prevent others
from driving under the influence of them. We must promote
practices such as designating a sober driver, stopping impaired family
members and friends from getting behind the wheel, reporting impaired
drivers to law enforcement officials, and teaching our young people
safe, alcohol- and drug-free driving behavior.
We should also promote coordinated public policies and citizen
campaigns against drunk and drugged driving in our
communities. One example is the Department of
Transportation's You Drink & Drive, You Lose campaign. This
national coalition of community and law enforcement organizations will
increase public awareness of the hazards of impaired
driving. Their message warns of the criminal penalties for
impaired driving, including imprisonment and the loss of license,
vehicle, time from work, and money in fines and court costs.
As we celebrate the joyous holiday season, we can help save lives
by preventing impaired driving. In order to ensure the
safety of our roads for all travelers, we must continue to fight drunk
and drugged driving throughout the year.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 2001 as
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. I call
upon State and community leaders to join the National Holiday
Lifesavers Mobilization, sponsored by the You Drink & Drive, You Lose campaign, on December 21-23,
2001. I also urge all Americans to remember the hazards of
impaired driving and to become involved in fighting this dangerous
problem.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth
day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-sixth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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