Above President Steve with Chief Silva and WP Chief Paul Gingerella. Chief Silva is the Coordinator and Facilitator for the Rhode Island Impaired Driving Engagement Council of the Rhode Island Police Chief's Association. His talk and powerpoint presentation for the evening centered around Impaired Driving. Rhode Island is ranked at 30% nationallly. He noted that traffic fatalities in the US in 2020 was 38,825, in 2021 42,915 - a 30% increase. Traffic fatalities in Rhode Island this year so far is 14, 45% alcohol related, most vulnerable age group is 38-51 year olds. He was pleased that his audience included a diverse age group for this presentation.
Some additional things he shared to prevent impaired driving:
If you choose to drink, don't drive
Use a designated driver or an alternate mode of transportation such as a taxi
Program the number of a sober friend and/or text a service in your phone
Give a sober friend your car keys
Drinking and driving could result in deadly consequences
To protect your friends who have been drinking, take their car keys. Don't let them drive.
Call the police if you see anyone driving drunk
If you're hosting a party, be a responsible host - stop serving alcohol 1 - 2 hours before party ends
Driving while intoxicated has consequences:
Attorney fees, fines, court costs, arrest bond, vehicle costs, insurance premium increases, loss of license, jail
Injury and/or loss of life
"Even ONE drink can be too much!"
