The dangers of drunk driving are well known. The Garden State had more than 150 drunk driving fatalities in 2010, according to the Century Council, a not-for-profit that educates the public on the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
But what many people don't realize is that drinking while walking can also be quite dangerous, according to trauma surgeon Thomas Esposito at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill.
"Every movement ranging from driving a car to simply walking to the bathroom is compromised," Esposito said in a press release from Loyola. "Alcohol impairs your judgment, reflexes and coordination. Alcohol is nothing more than a socially acceptable, over-the-counter stimulant/depressant and, especially during the holidays, alcohol is frequently abused."
Esposito has seen many horrific accidents that result from people walking home while drunk and being struck by a vehicle.
"From July 2009 to June 2010, 105 people were treated at Loyola after being struck by cars. Fifty-five had their blood alcohol content checked. Of those, 16 individuals, or 29 percent, were found to have had some level of alcohol in their system," said Esposito, who is chief of the division of trauma, surgical critical care and burns.
The journal Injury Prevention found New Year's Day is more deadly for pedestrians than any other day of the year.
In 2008, 38 percent of fatally injured pedestrians had a blood alcohol content above .08 — the legal limit in New Jersey — according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The percentage rose to 53 percent for deaths occurring during 9 p.m.-6 a.m.
"It's not just walking outside. We often see people who have been drinking that have fallen down the stairs or tripped at home and injured themselves. Others have unwisely chosen to 'get into it' with guns, knives, bottles and fists," Esposito said.