National Drunk And Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 1997

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7057 of December 1, 1997

National Drunk And Drugged Driving Prevention
Month, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Driving is a privilege enjoyed by millions of
Americans. It offers us freedom, mobility, and the
chance to discover what lies over the next hill or
around the next bend in the road. But driving also
brings with it serious responsibilities. Among the most
important of these is a driver's responsibility to stay
sober. Tragically, many Americans ignore this
responsibility.

Drunk or drugged drivers are a menace not only to
themselves, but also to the communities in which they
drive. Last year alone, they killed more than 17,000 of
their fellow citizens and injured thousands more.
Research has shown that teenage drivers and those aged
21 to 34 are most likely to drive under the influence
of alcohol or other drugs.

We must reaffirm our commitment to educate these and
all drivers about the dangers of operating a vehicle
after consuming alcohol or drugs, and we must
strengthen law enforcement efforts that will prevent
impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel in the
first place. We must also work together as a national
community to make drunk and drugged driving socially
unacceptable, and continue to support educational
programs and legislation that teach all our citizens
the terrible risks of drunk and drugged driving. By
doing so, we can prevent thousands of deaths and
injuries each year and protect our families, our
friends, and ourselves from becoming victims of this
deadly behavior.

I am proud of the ``Zero Alcohol Tolerance''
legislation that 45 States and the District of Columbia
have adopted, making it illegal for drivers under the
age of 21 who have been drinking to drive a motor
vehicle. I call upon all Americans, including
policymakers, community leaders, State officials,
parents, educators, health and medical professionals,
and other concerned citizens to continue to support
such legislation and to work together to save lives. I
challenge American businesses to take a stand against
impaired driving both on and off the job and to
remember that an alcohol- and drug-free workplace is
the right and responsibility of every worker. Finally,
in memory of the thousands who have lost their lives to
drunk and drugged drivers, I ask all motorists to
participate in ``National Lights on for Life Day'' on
Friday, December 19, 1997, by driving with vehicle
headlights illuminated. In doing so, we will call
attention to this critical national problem and remind
others on the road of their responsibility to drive
free of the influence of drugs and alcohol.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim December 1997 as National
Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. I urge all
Americans to recognize the dangers of impaired driving;
to take responsibility for themselves and others around
them; to prevent anyone under the influence of alcohol
or drugs from getting behind the wheel; and to help
teach our young people about the importance and the
benefits of safe driving behavior.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-second.