Other Areas Of Impairment Targeted, Not Just Alcohol, This Holiday Season

Published: Friday, December 27, 2013 - 2:16pm
Updated: Friday, December 27, 2013 - 2:38pm
Audio icon Download mp3 (5.4 MB)

Law enforcement agencies are targeting drunk drivers this holiday season, but alcohol is not the only impairment on officials’ minds.

Linda Gorman with AAA Arizona cites everything from eating and grooming to texting and surfing the web. She is in favor of anything that gets drivers to keep their minds on the road.

"Anything that can increase the awareness and reduce the risk. We know that there are a couple of things that tend to work and have people curb behaviors, " said Gorman. "One of those is education, but enforcement is a big help."

Another factor that can play a role is engineering. Andrew Smigielski owns Southwest Traffic Engineering and said planners design your commute by starting with slower speeds and lots of access on residential streets, increasing speeds and limiting access on collector streets, arterials and then freeways.

The Show