HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 12-14 Alcohol holidays dangerous mixture THE REVIEW Alcohol,
holidays
dangerous
mixture
"The Christmas season can be
treacherous — just plain treacherous,"
Maplewood Police Chief Richard Schaller
noted recently. Schaller is cooperating
with area drug abuse officials to em-
phasize holiday drinking problems.
"Year `round, over half of the traffic
fatalities nationwide involve alcohol. Top
that off with added holiday parties. Add
heavy holiday traffic, extra pedestrian
activity and last-minute shopping,"
Schaller continued. "Mix all these with
winter's tricky weather and you come up
with many potentially treacherous
situations."
This year, according to Schaller, the
International Association of Chiefs of
Police is stepping up its annual campaign
to reduce holiday accidents and their
consequences. "We're accelerating
traffic enforcement, alerting emergency
medical personnel, appealing to the
public —everything we can do. But the
real responsibility rests with each
citizen!"
Safer holiday tips include:
If you've been drinking, let someone
else drive.
If you give a party,serve food with the
drinks and discourage over-indulgence.
Stop serving drinks early before the
party's over.
If a guest does overdo, arrange for a
ride with someone else. You got him
drunk — you get him home without in-
cident.
As a final warning, Schaller noted,
"The holidays are no time for abandoning
basic safety rules — or to forget your
obligations as a good host!"