[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 209 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H7139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL IMPAIRED DRIVING PREVENTION MONTH

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, December is National Impaired Driving 
Prevention Month. We know that during this time of the year, with so 
many holidays in a compact amount of time, that the risk is higher. 
Indeed, over one-third of traffic-related deaths in the United States 
involve a drunk driver; and we know that, throughout the holiday 
season, drunk-driving crashes increase.
  For example, last December nearly 1,000 people in the U.S. died in 
alcohol-related crashes, and 35 of those happened on Christmas Day. 
Every single one of those deaths is preventable.
  I sincerely thank our law enforcement and our first responders for 
being there on the scene during these tragedies and working to prevent 
them from being worse and from having these impaired accidents happen. 
However, the decision to drive sober comes from taking personal 
responsibility for all of our actions and making travel plans before 
your holiday celebrations begin.
  Let's keep every seat at our Christmas tables and at our holiday 
tables during this time of year safely filled with family and friends 
instead of tragedy. Let's make sure our loved ones are making smart 
choices and help them out to be smart and safe during this time of the 
year.

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