The thought on every ER doctor's mind on New Year's Eve.
By publishing this newsletter, I could save more lives today than I typically save in the ER.
Dear Inside Medicine readers,
As I often do on major holidays, today’s dispatch is just a quick message to remind you to be extra safe tonight. New Year’s Eve is among the worst days of the year in terms of motor vehicle fatalities. In fact, Christmas through New Year’s is the most dangerous period of the year for driving-related deaths, though July 4th appears to be the worst single day on the calendar.
My medical advice for New Year’s Eve is simple. Do not drive while intoxicated, be it from alcohol or any other substance. In fact, if you want a distillation of what every ER doc is thinking on December 31st every year, it is this: Happy New Year. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drive after taking any recreational drug in any amount.
Please use a ride hailing service or taxi tonight. You can often order a car ahead of time these days. If you do not know how to do this, ask someone to help you. (It’s not a big ask.) Above all, just have a plan of some kind that does not involve driving while intoxicated. You may think you’re a good driver, even after 1-2 drinks. The problem is that there will be far more intoxicated drivers out there tonight than usual—and we can’t control what they do with their vehicles when under the influence.
Yes, Ubers and Lyfts will likely be more expensive than usual on holidays. But a D.U.I. is far more expensive—let alone the legal fees for any involuntary manslaughter proceedings or wrongful death suits that could crop up if you had something to do with killing a person while behind the wheel (to say nothing of the anguish we’d each feel if we inadvertently caused harm to another person). Yes, this happens a lot.
As an ER doctor, I often think about how many lives I save on a regular basis just by going to work. It’s a few here and there—and the number is hard to quantify. But to be honest, I think using my platform as a writer and a public health messenger may save even more lives. That means that just by reading this and taking the message in, you’re actively helping me make our collective community just a little safer.
And for that, I thank you.
Here’s to a safe end of 2022 and an even safer 2023!