A. Proclamation Declaring December National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month1
NATIONAL DRUNK AND
DRUGGED DRIVING(31))
PREVENTION MONTH
1994- DECEMBER 1995
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, drivers and pedestrians impaired by alcohol and other drugs account for
nearly 17,500 highway deaths annually; and
WHEREAS, motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for children,
adolescents, and young adults in the United States; and
' WHEREAS, alcohol is involved in nearly half of all traffic fatalities; and
WHEREAS, injury and property damage resulting from alcohol - impaired driving cause
' physical, emotional, and economic hardship for hundreds of thousands of adults and young
people; and
' WHEREAS, comprehensive community -based strategies to further reduce and prevent
impaired driving tragedies are known; and
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WHEREAS, health care costs resulting from motor vehicle injuries cost American society
over $14 billion a year; and save $35,000 in health care costs alone for each serious injury that
is prevented.
WHEREAS, if we take a stand now, we can prevent impaired driving.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Donald J. Chmiel do hereby proclaim December 1994 as National
Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month in the City of Chanhassen. I also call upon all
citizens, government agencies, public and private institutions, businesses, hospitals, and schools
in the City of Chanhassen to promote awareness of causes of driver impairment, existing and
proposed laws intended to further reduce and prevent impaired driving, and opportunities to
establish safer and healthier norms regarding the use of alcohol and other drugs for all citizens,
particularly young people.
rM. .
� p srq�O, FACT SHEET
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Highway Safe /Health
ftim Saf
/Health
and Injury Control
President Clinton's health care and injury control proposal calls for increased individual
responsibility for health and safety. Further improvements in highway safety will assist in
the national effort to reduce health care costs.
Nearly 40,000 people die in troffic.crashes each year, and 5 million are injured. One
hundred seven people die each day from traffic crashes. (In comparison, about 25,000
murders and 1 million aggravated assaults occur each year.)
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people between the ages 6 and 33.
Motor vehicle crashes cost the nation $137 billion annually, including $14 billion in
health care costs ($3.7 billion of which is paid directly by taxpayers). The cost to
employers is $37 billion each year. We save $35,000 in health care costs alone for
each serious injury we prevent. In comparison, crime of all sorts costs the nation
$19 billion each year.
Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena has set tough new goals for increasing seat belt
use and decreasing drunk driving, the two actions that hold the most promise of saving
lives, preventing injuries, and reducing traffic - related health care and other economic
costs.
Reducing the percentage of alcohol - related fatalities to 43 percent of total fatalities and
related injuries by a proportionate amount would save 1,200 lives and spare American
taxpayers $282 million in health care costs, $73 million of which is publicly funded.
Another $208 million would be saved in income taxes and public assistance.
Increasing seat belt usage in passenger cars alone to 75 percent from the current
62 percent would save 1,700 lives and many times that number of injuries. Health care
costs would be reduced by $684 million ($180 million of which is publicly funded) and
another $328 million would be saved in income taxes and public assistance.
The Department of Transportation will meet Secretary Pena's highway safety /health and
injury control goals by working with states, communities, and private organizations to
encourage strict enforcement of state seat belt and anti -drunk driving laws, and through
intensive public information activities to alert Americans to the savings in lives and dollars
that will accrue from these activities.