Bucking nationwide trends of sharp increases in alcohol-related traffic fatalities on New Year’s Eve, Dane County rang in the New Year without a single death, according to John Evans, director of the Bureau of Transportation Safety of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
In the United States, traffic accidents are more than three times as likely to occur on New Year’s Eve than other days of the year, and more than half of these accidents are alcohol-related, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, only four vehicle accidents reasonably related to alcohol occurred in Madison that night, said Madison Police Department Capt. George Silverwood.
Silverwood said he attributes the low number of alcohol-related vehicle accidents to partiers’ preplanned transportation for New Year’s Eve. When people plan to drink a lot, they also plan for a ride home, Silverwood said. He said New Year’s Eve is a prime example of nights people plan to celebrate past the point where they feel they can drive home.
“I have seen nights, frankly, that are far worse than New Year’s,” Silverwood said.
The dangers of drinking and driving occur when unplanned drinking becomes part of the evening, such as during company Christmas parties, Silverwood said. He said people think they are still okay to drive home, even though their judgment is impaired.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving Wisconsin executive director Kari Kinnard agreed that planning ahead for rides home is a key way to avoid drunken-driving accidents.
To help remind partiers to find alternative ways home after drinking, MADD launches its red-ribbon campaign each year at the start of the holiday season. The organization hands out the ribbons for drivers to display on their car and symbolize the driver’s commitment to yearlong sober driving, Kinnard said. She said the ribbons also serve as a reminder to others to stay safe.
The “Tie One On” campaign runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, when alcohol-related accidents are highest, Kinnard said. However, Super Bowl Sunday has been a more deadly driving day than New Year’s Eve in the past, so MADD’s efforts through Public Service Announcements and word-of-mouth continue year-round.
“So even after the holiday season, we’re still not done,” Kinnard said.
In 2001, with 48 percent of traffic deaths attributed to alcohol, Wisconsin was 7 percent higher than the national average, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. During the past three years, an average of 393 people have died in the United States on New Year’s Eve from traffic accidents.
Five people died in Wisconsin this New Year’s Eve, Evans said. He said it is unclear if those deaths were alcohol-related.
Although Dane County did not report any alcohol-related traffic deaths this New Year’s Eve, Madison city officials are still investigating alcohol’s possible link to the death of UW student Mark Mueller. Mueller reportedly died of head wounds, his body found outside Sellery Hall in downtown Madison on New Year’s Day.
The Madison Police Department was prepared for traffic accidents that could have happened on New Year’s Eve by having a full staff on patrol duty, Silverwood said.
