2 years ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Every 37 minutes someone in the United States is killed in a drunk driving collision, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. And according to a Sacramento trauma surgeon and the founder of The Teachable Moment Foundation, Sacramento County is one of the worst drunk driving cities in California. "Sacramento ranks number one out of the 13 major metropolitan areas in California in drunk driving injuries and deaths," said Dr. Leon Owens. His figures come from the California Office of Traffic Safety and are based on average population and average miles traveled. Owens, who is a trauma surgeon at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael,, lost his son in a DUI crash in 2002. "He was rushed here (Mercy San Juan Hospital) and they ran him to an operating rom, tried to save his life," said Owens. "He just had too many injuries. He was driving drunk and I lost my boy." Owens formed the Teachable Moment Foundation with a mission to develop new and more effective ways to curb drunk driving. "You want to take a swing at the monster that came at you," said Owens. The Teachable Moment Foundation is now launching Every37.com. Owens said the goal is to impact societal change and behavior modification within Sacramento County through a high-profile advertising and social marketing outreach campaign. "A person drives 300 times drunk on average before their first DUI," said Owens. "We want to separate the person who's drinking from the weapon of destruction." Owens and other victims of drinking and driving will be handing out cards at various high-profile New Year's Eve events in Sacramento. "We want people to think about ways to get home and to figure out strategies before you drink," said Owens. The cards include the following numbers: AAA Tipsy Tow 1 (800) AAA-HELP (Free tow home up to 5 miles on major holidays.) AM-PM Taxi (916) 595-5111 Checker Cab (916) 443-3333 Dave's Taxi Service (916) 879-6000 Diamond Taxi (916) 383-3300
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