An official website of the United States government Here's how you know

Fort Knox officials encourage responsible driving during holiday season

By Savannah BairdOctober 17, 2024

A totaled vehicle rests at Chaffee Gate at Fort Knox, Kentucky Oct. 16, 2024. The vehicle simulates one involved in a DUI-related accident and was donated by Doug’s Towing of Elizabethtown Kentucky.
A totaled vehicle rests at Chaffee Gate at Fort Knox, Kentucky Oct. 16, 2024. The vehicle simulates one involved in a DUI-related accident and was donated by Doug’s Towing of Elizabethtown Kentucky. (Photo Credit: Savannah Baird; Fort Knox News) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Snow, ice and substances that cause impairment - a deadly threat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website stated that in 2021 there were 395 fatal crashes that occurred due to snow and sleet. Numbers from 2022 showed that there were 13,524 deaths caused by drunk-driving incidents, which is about 37 Americans every day.

With that in mind, Fort Knox officials advise drivers to always consider basic road safety, and then plan beyond.

“When we think of winter, we often think of snow, sleet and ice but, there are other conditions that we don't necessarily think about, like days being shorter,” said Jared Jones, a Fort Knox Safety Office occupational health and safety specialist. “[With shorter days] you have to be prepared for driving in the dark, especially if you get up for work particularly early.”

Jones said that completing basic preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) on your vehicle - making sure your lights, windshield wipers, and cooling system are all good - can prevent many winter roadside hassles, though an emergency kit is always beneficial.

Jones recommends the following items for a standard emergency kit:

  • Seat belt cutter
  • Small food rations (energy bars, water, etc.)
  • Emergency blanket and clothing
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Jumper cables
  • Candle (or other fuel source) and matches. This can be used as a heat source or to make oneself visible on the side of the road.
  • Salt, cat litter or plywood to get out of sticky situations in the snow and ice.

Jones also recommends keeping the gas-gage above half-full and ensuring that one’s windshield wiper fluid is rated for cold weather to avoid freezing the lines.

Other concerns when it comes to road safety during the holidays typically fall under alcohol and other substance misuse, specifically DUIs.

Fifty six percent of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes, from October to December of 2020, tested positive for at least one drug,” said Dr. Bill Taylor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Fort Knox Army Substance Abuse Program Manager. “Alcohol is quite frequent at holiday events; it tends to be a centerpiece. Plan ahead, have a sober driver.”

Taylor said that with apps like Uber and Rideshare or traditional taxi services, it is too easy to have a backup plan to avoid the temptation and shortcut of driving under the influence. He added prevention, or planning ahead in order to make low or zero risk choices, is truly the best medicine when it comes to curbing impaired driving and its impacts on lives.

“I worked with an individual one time that kept money in the sole of his shoe, in a Ziploc bag, so if he went to a party and he didn't have a sober driver, he could call a taxi and he had money to pay them,” said Taylor.

He also said responsible hosts can also help prevent these incidents by helping find intoxicated partygoers a sober driver. “If you're hosting a party, make sure your guests leave with a sober driver - that's just being responsible,” said Taylor.

Taylor said it generally takes the body one hour to metabolize a standard drink – one 12-ounce glass of beer, an ounce-and-a-half of 80-proof liquor or a five-ounce glass of wine. The general rule is it will take about one hour for the body to break down just one drink.

“If impairment begins with the first drink, then we're just increasing the risk the more drinks we have,” said Taylor. “In 2022 there were 2,337 people killed in alcohol related crashes where the driver had a blood alcohol content level between .01 and .07. The legal limit is .08. That shows that you can be legal but still be impaired, and unsafe and kill people.”

As a reminder to the Fort Knox community of the dangers and potential consequences of driving under the influence, the Chaffee Gate sign was recently updated with a “Days since our last DUI, Don’t be the next I” sign. The message is reinforced by a co-located totaled vehicle involved in a DUI-related accident, donated by Doug’s Towing of Elizabethtown. The vehicle is expected to remain in place until after the New Year.

“I want people to understand that [the sign’s message] is not about the color indicators and the numbers, but it's about being safe and making low risk decisions,” said Byron Goode Fort Knox Army Substance Abuse program specialist. “I believe that your family should be able to get home safe; that when you sit down at night to eat your dinner, everybody that’s supposed to be around the table, is at the table. They should not be absent because [some individual] made a high-risk decision.”

Visit Fort Knox News at www.army.mil/knox for all of Central Kentucky's latest military news and information.