Proclamation 6760

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

All across the Nation, Americans are coming together in an ever-expanding chorus of voices demanding an end to drunk and drugged driving. Too many family members and friends have already been lost. In recent years numerous grassroots organizations have arisen throughout the land and dedicated themselves to ending this national tragedy. In big cities and small towns across the country, students, parents, and concerned citizens recognize that education and prevention are the keys to saving lives. Naming a designated driver is an idea embraced by millions of Americans, and many schools now include drunk driving awareness programs as part of their curricula.

Despite the tremendous efforts of both the private and public sectors, drunk and drugged driving remains America's number one danger on the highways. We must redouble our efforts to teach all Americans that alcohol and drugs-used alone or in combination-cause loss of control and loss of judgment, and that under these circumstances it is irresponsible and dangerous to attempt to drive.

Countless caring people across the country have taken on the daunting challenge of changing the way Americans think about alcohol, drugs, and driving. They have moved forward with an energy born of a deep personal commitment to serving the common good. Thanks in great part to their devotion and hard work, parents can feel a little safer and a little more secure about their children's future. This month, I ask each citizen to work actively to make our roads and highways safer-for the good of our children and for our Nation.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 1994 as "National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month." I ask all Americans to reaffirm that being drunk or drugged is unacceptable and to intervene by stopping anyone impaired by drugs or alcohol from getting behind the wheel. I call upon public officials at all levels, as well as interested citizens and groups, to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth.

William Jefferson Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:57 p.m., December 5, 1994]