VIDEO: 4th of July Drunk Driving

I would first like to take a moment to thank Ruth and Drew Finn, Travis’s parents, for sharing their story with me and the Tampa community.  My sincere and deepest expression of appreciation for their strength to tell Travis’ story with the hope other families might be spared their grief. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 4th of July holiday weekend is the deadliest for drunk driving related crashes, even more so than New Year’s.  Furthermore, according to research from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, alcohol-related traffic deaths are at an all time high.  17,941 people nationwide died in 2006, and that number is up by 2.4 percent from 2005.  Here in Florida, the latest research from 2005 shows that 1,471 people died in that year as a result of drunk drivers.

Don Murray, Florida’s Executive Director of MADD, says the best defense to prevent drunk driving is to plan ahead:
“The problem frankly is that when you drink, your judgment goes away and you don’t think you are impaired… and once the judgment goes, you feel perfectly content to and confident that your abilities to drive are not impaired.  People have to understand that that is the first clue that there’s trouble.”

Don encourages everyone this 4th of July to select a designated driver or chip in for a cab or other form of transportation.  For more information on drunk driving related initiatives, legislation, resources and statistics, visit MADD’s website at http://www.madd.org. 

The following is a partial list of cab services available throughout the metro Tampa area and its suburbs.

Affordable Taxi (727) 733-3333, 2647 Harbor Cir, Clearwater, FL

Action Cab & Shuttle (727) 845-3090, New Port Richey, FL

United Cab Company (813) 253-2424, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa

Yellow Cab (813) 253-3590, 502 N Oregon Ave, Tampa

A Americab Taxi, (813) 837-4455, 506 N Archer St, Tampa

ABC Taxi (813) 872-8294, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa

Florida Taxi (727) 896-5008, Tampa

Gulf Coast Transportation (813) 251-3107, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa

Cab Plus Incorporated, (813) 250-0990, Hyde Park, Tampa

Tampi Taxi Incorporated, (813) 888-5008, 4105 N Florida Ave, Tampa

United Cab Company (813) 251-6494, 1701 W Cass St, Tampa

Wishing you and your family a safe and relaxing 4th.
Alicia