Drunk Driving Poll Shows Mixed Results

The death toll from alcohol-impaired driving in the United States dropped for the second year in a row, from 10,996 fatalities in 2016 to 10,908 in 2017 and 10,511 in 2018. That translates into hundreds of lives saved in the past two years.

And there is more good news: there has been an increase in the number of drivers who said that they relied on safe rides as an alternative strategy to avoid getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

Those are a few highlights from a new survey released on Friday, developed and conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA (TIRF USA), in partnership with Traffic Injury Research Foundation in Canada.

"The number of drivers indicating they had been a designated driver, used a designated driver, used a taxi or public transportation or ride sharing rose from 177 million drivers in 2017 to 187 million in 2019," Carl Wicklund, senior adviser for TIRF USA, said in a statement. "Understanding who is at risk for alcohol-impaired driving, and the conditions leading to this behavior, is important to ensure people have access to safe rides."

However, the survey results also showed that the percentage of respondents who reported driving when they thought they were over the legal limit in the last 12 months significantly increased from 11.6% in 2018 to 20% in 2019, the highest prevalence reported during the past five years of data collection, according to the nonprofit road safety groups. In addition, the percentage of respondents who reported driving impaired often or very often was also the highest reported during the past five years, with a significant increase from 3.4% in 2018 to 11.1% in 2019.

"While more data are needed to monitor trends, the significant increase in self-reported alcohol-impaired driving is a concern," Ward Vanlaar, the chief operating officer of TIRF Canada, said in a statement. "It is an early warning that the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2019 may increase without continued and increased efforts."

Global Fashion Collective Shines At Paris Fashion Week

I met with Sandeep Dalal at The Spur to talk about his new business venture called Choltry, a company helping women of all income levels to uplevel their wardrobe. Sandeep is creating a compassionate lane in the $117B fashion sector.

If you’re a woman looking to dress to impress at work without spending beyond your means, Sandeep has you covered.  His platform, Choltry is an online retail service that rents premium office wear at $9.95 per week, including free shipping and dry cleaning. (Yes, you read that correctly!) For less than $10 a week women now have the opportunity to revamp their professional wardrobe in a way that’s sustainable and fashionable.

Sandeep grew up in New Delhi where he received his MBA and began working in IT.  He then moved to Seattle where his idea for Choltry was sparked after watching his wife organize her closet where he observed many designer dresses and finding out that she purchased them early in her career as an intern when she was receiving a paycheck that did not support her wardrobe needs. Sandeep got to work solving the problem of how to provide great clothes for professional women who have a limited budget and often, little time for shopping.

Choltry which means a place to rest is empowering women to look and feel their best without having to leave the comfort of their own home. Offering over 25 styles, the site eases the stress of the working woman at a price point that would cost less than the weekly dry cleaning bill.

So how on earth is Sandeep able to offer premium and such well-made dresses at such a low price? At Compassionate Leaders Circle, Sandeep is what we would call a "launcher," meaning that his purpose and vision is launching or growing an enterprise. Building the right partnerships has been crucial to his success and the "secret sauce" for how he keeps his shockingly low price point. "It all comes down to team".

Prom Dresses UK