U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 5

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 5: HOLIDAY DRINKING AND DRIVING

Profile America — Monday, December 5th.  Americans were able to legally drink once again on this date in 1933, as Prohibition ended after 13 eventful years.  While alcohol is legal, its use requires personal responsibility.  The holiday season now under way is a time for more parties and more driving than usual — as well as increased hours of darkness and bad weather.  This combination is why this is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.  While the number of people killed on the nation's highways each year is dropping, accidents still claim almost 31,000 lives.  About one-third of these deaths occur in accidents where the people involved have blood alcohol levels above the legal limit.  Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 582, 589
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1105, 1110

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau