Officials remind Wichitans to have a plan, don’t drink and drive

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a graphic with incorrectly identified data.

With the holidays approaching swiftly, local authorities are reminding Wichitans not to drive drunk.

District Attorney Marc Bennett said last week that alcohol often “finds its way” into holiday parties. When it does, have a plan for how you will get home, he said.

“There’s no mystery to this,” he said. “If you go to a party and someone offers you a glass of wine, think ahead of time. If you know you’re going to be there for an hour and a half, maybe that one drink’s OK. You’ll have to assess that yourself. If you have to leave in 30 minutes, those three drinks you decided to have quickly on the way out the door – not such a good idea.”

You are seven times more likely to be involved in a crash if you have been drinking, according to the DUI Impact Center of Kansas.

Overall, DUI arrests and fatalities have steadily declined since 2010; however, Bennett said that doesn’t necessarily mean the behavior is decreasing.

“Some of that ... has to do with resources to investigate those cases,” he said. “Our law enforcement has a lot of work to do – it’s hard for them to have the resources they need to investigate all those cases.”

Andrie Krahl, executive director of the DUI Impact Center, said “having a simple conversation with friends and guests can save a life.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Officials remind Wichitans to have a plan, don’t drink and drive."