[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 49 (Monday, December 8, 1997)]
[Pages 1942-1943]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7057--National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 
1997

December 1, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Driving is a privilege enjoyed by millions of Americans. It offers 
us freedom, mobility, and the chance to discover what lies over the next 
hill or around the next bend in the road. But driving also brings with 
it serious responsibilities. Among the most important of these is a 
driver's responsibility to stay sober. Tragically, many Americans ignore 
this responsibility.
    Drunk or drugged drivers are a menace not only to themselves, but 
also to the communities in which they drive. Last year alone, they 
killed more than 17,000 of their fellow citizens and injured thousands 
more. Research has shown that teenage drivers and those aged 21 to 34 
are most likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
    We must reaffirm our commitment to educate these and all drivers 
about the dangers of operating a vehicle after consuming alcohol or 
drugs, and we must strengthen law enforcement efforts that will prevent 
impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel in the first place. We 
must also work together as a national community to make drunk and 
drugged driving socially unacceptable, and continue to support 
educational programs and legislation that teach all our citizens the 
terrible risks of drunk and drugged driving. By doing so, we can prevent 
thousands of deaths and injuries each year and protect our families, our 
friends, and ourselves from becoming victims of this deadly behavior.
    I am proud of the ``Zero Alcohol Tolerance'' legislation that 45 
States and the District of Columbia have adopted, making it illegal for 
drivers under the age of 21 who have been drinking to drive a motor 
vehicle. I call upon all Americans, including policymakers, community 
leaders, State officials, parents, educators, health and medical 
professionals, and other concerned citizens to continue to support such 
legislation and to work together to save lives. I challenge

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American businesses to take a stand against impaired driving both on and 
off the job and to remember that an alcohol- and drug-free workplace is 
the right and responsibility of every worker. Finally, in memory of the 
thousands who have lost their lives to drunk and drugged drivers, I ask 
all motorists to participate in ``National Lights on for Life Day'' on 
Friday, December 19, 1997, by driving with vehicle headlights 
illuminated. In doing so, we will call attention to this critical 
national problem and remind others on the road of their responsibility 
to drive free of the influence of drugs and alcohol.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, 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 
1997 as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. I urge all 
Americans to recognize the dangers of impaired driving; to take 
responsibility for themselves and others around them; to prevent anyone 
under the influence of alcohol or drugs from getting behind the wheel; 
and to help teach our young people about the importance and the benefits 
of safe driving behavior.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of 
December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., December 3, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
December 4.