PRESS RELEASE
November 29, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT
DEPUTY DAVID MOYER
TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAM MANAGER
(540) 928-2260
DMOYER@BOTETOURTVA.GOV
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--
As the Holidays Near, Remember: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different
Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office Remind Community That Drug-Impaired Driving Can Be Deadly
FINCASTLE, VA – The end of the year is a busy time for many American households as families and individuals prepare for the upcoming holiday season. With more people on the roads traveling to end-of-year festivities and vacations, there is a higher likelihood of impaired-driving crashes. To help keep drug-impaired drivers off the busier streets, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and other area law enforcement partners to make sure to spread the message that drug-impaired driving can be deadly. Please help us spread this life-saving message and remove drug-impaired drivers from our nation’s highways: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different.
Buzzed and drunk driving are severe, risky behaviors that cause needless deaths on our roads. Last year before the holidays, from November 30 to December 14, 2021, there were 290 alcohol-related crashes, 162 injuries, and five deaths on the Commonwealth’s roads. This is why it’s so essential we spread this life-saving message: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. It doesn’t matter what term you use — high, stoned, or wasted — no one should get behind the wheel impaired. Think being high won’t affect your driving. You’re wrong. It has been proven that marijuana can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.
“Ultimately, we rely on drivers to play their part in keeping our roads safe,” said Sheriff Matt Ward. “Driving under the influence of any impairing substance can be deadly. We know marijuana is an impairing substance, and any impairment is dangerous when you’re
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behind the wheel of a vehicle,”.
Therefore, BCSO is working with other local agencies to remind drivers that drunk driving is illegal and deadly. As you head out to this holiday season, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office reminds citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely.
Sheriff Ward recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:
Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver, plan to use a ride service, or call a taxi or a sober friend to get home safely.
Contact the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center if you see a drunk driver on the road.
Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
Working together can save lives and help keep our roadways safe. Please join us in sharing the life-saving message Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving during the holiday weekend.
For more information, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
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